alt.hn

2/14/2026 at 3:41:59 PM

A Programmer's Loss of Identity

 https://ratfactor.com/tech-nope2

by zdw

2/15/2026 at 3:38:46 AM

I’m wary about the exuberance of AI displacing quality.

But some of the worst experiences I’ve had with coworkers were with those who made programming part of their identity. Every technical disagreement on a PR became a threat to identity or principles, and ceased being about making the right decision in that moment. Identity means: there’s us, and them, and they don’t get it.

‘Programmer’ is much better off as a description of one who does an activity. Not an identity.

by golly_ned

2/16/2026 at 7:06:25 PM

“Identity” is an overloaded word.

It can mean a category flag someone waves, an identifier we ask others to respect, a group we choose to belong to, a way of understanding what it is we like about ourselves, or something we quietly aspire to.

by Nevermark

2/15/2026 at 2:49:39 PM

This piece is very sad and it resonates with me, especially after we talked about identity and definition of success. The loss of job (if any) is not as fatal as the loss of one’s social identity. Of course, there is always a way out, a way to see things in a positive light. But I believe right now it’s important to let it sink in, to realize what we have to shed on the way to tomorrow. Most (young) people don’t realize it yet.

by sinuhe69

2/15/2026 at 3:07:18 PM

I can't relate to this anymore and honestly after embracing vibe coding, I'm sick of reading posts like this (and I don't want to personally attack the write who I sympathize with to some degree). Being able to code doesn't make you better than the "plebs" who are creating massive value with a vibe coded tool. I also remember the brief moment of disbelief when I noticed AI could really code better than me, until I realized that the amount of problems and projects I could solve now basically exploded, while the stuff I was previously forced to deal with is now a waste of time - on to better things, as was always the case in human history.

A programmer is someone telling machines what to do - we will be doing more of that than ever in human history. That said, "coders" not so much - maybe its better to identify as a "person trying to help and care for others" than a profession, since the former will always have a place in society.

by borzi

2/15/2026 at 9:06:35 PM 

  > Being able to code doesn't make you better than the "plebs" who are creating massive value with a vibe coded tool.
  > [...] I noticed AI could really code better than me [...]
AI code output is generally considered mediocre (in the sense of "on the median"). If it codes better than you, it might be that your code output is generally below average.

Might it be the case that you don't grasp how good one can get with computers and thus not realize that one could be much better than you are at programming them? Did you consider for a moment the possibility that you were missing something?

by vdupras

2/16/2026 at 8:52:11 AM

Notice how I said "coding", not "programming". Coding to me is "should I do an early return or use an if/else? Should I extract that variable into a function to make it cleaner?". It's about focusing on the trivialities that come with insisting on meticulously hand typing and reviewing every line instead of focusing on software quality, design and user needs.

by borzi

2/16/2026 at 11:28:55 AM

If we want to make that distinction, then we should also acknowledge that "vibecoding" is a misnomer and should be called "vibeprogramming", because it delegates the whole act of programming to the LLM, leaving you with fleshing out the specs (which is not programming).

If that is so, then your whole comment is inconsistent and akin to "I do all my poetry with LLMs now and I don't see what people have against it: it's often better than me at punctuation!"

by vdupras