Few tools have reshaped day-to-day work in tech as quickly as generative AI; coding tasks that once took developers days—or weeks—can now be spun up in seconds. So naturally, many workers are now embracing “vibes” to program, instead of writing software line by line.
But Minecraft creator Markus Persson, the billionaire developer better known as “Notch,” is sounding an alarm: Even if tech companies are embracing coding with AI, that doesn’t make it a good thing.
“Reminder that using AI to write code is an incredibly bad idea still, and anyone advocating for it is either incompetent or evil,” Persson recently wrote in an X post.
“It’s just as dumb as letting AI write the laws. It’s about logic, not about typing.”
Persson argued his concern isn’t rooted in outright resistance to innovation, but rather in fears about losing autonomy, creative control, and the very essence of what it means to code.
“If you seriously believe that the same people that manipulate people via mainstream media (for clearly evil purposes) wouldn’t use subtle ways to use AI to manipulate us, you’re dumb. It’s being forced down our throats for a reason,” the 46-year-old said.
His bottom line: “Don’t rely on AI for programming.”
Persson’s warning is especially pointed given how many young engineers are entering the headcount-reducing field at a moment when prompting and vibe coding are not just trends—but increasingly treated as a replacement for traditional programming practices.
Last April, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said over 30% of code at Google is now generated by AI. The following month, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put that figure for his company at between 20% and 30%. Leaders at AI startups like OpenAI and Anthropic have gone even further recently, suggesting that technology now produces 100% of their code.
Notch’s advice for aspiring Gen Z developers: ‘Learn. Your. Craft.’
Persson, who taught himself how to code while growing up in Sweden, worked in game development—including at the studio now behind Candy Crush—before officially launching Minecraft in 2011. The sandbox game quickly became a hit among millennial and Gen Z gamers and has sold over 300 million copies to date.
Minecraft was acquired in 2014 by Microsoft for $2.5 billion. In the years after the sale, Persson became a controversial figure and was excluded from official Minecraft anniversary events following a series of offensive social media posts. His net worth is estimated at $1.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Despite the game’s popularity as a gateway for young people to learn programming—and more recently experiment with AI—Persson remains deeply skeptical of outsourcing core skills to algorithms.
His advice for aspiring tech developers remains simple: “Learn. Your. Craft. You are not safe to program if you don’t know how to do it,” he said.
“It’s like only knowing how to fly, but not how to land or take off.”
Persson declined Fortune’s request for further comment.
While Notch warns against AI, CEOs say mastering it is essential
Persson is not alone in advocating that programming should maintain a foundational skill. But many leaders disagree on what that foundation should look like in the AI era.
GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke has said programming literacy shouldn’t be limited to future software engineers.
“I strongly believe that every kid, every child, should learn coding,” Dohmke said. “We should actually teach them coding in school, in the same way that we teach them physics and geography and literacy and math and whatnot.”
Andrew Ng, the former head of Google Brain and cofounder of Coursera, has expressed disagreement with Persson’s notions—actively encouraging people to make the most of AI by using it as a coding assistant.
“Don’t code by hand. Don’t do the old way,” Ng said last year at Snowflake’s Build conference.
“Get AI to help you to code,” he added. “And that will make people in all job functions much more productive and have more fun.”
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has echoed that the need to master AI is more extreme for everyone.
“Every job will be affected, and immediately. It is unquestionable,” Huang said at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference last year. “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
