'Coding will not die, it will just...', says Microsoft chief product officer Aparna Chennapragada

Coding

Microsoft’s chief product officer of experiences and devices, Aparna Chennapragada, is pushing back on the growing narrative that artificial intelligence will make traditional coding obsolete. Speaking on Lenny’s Podcast, Chennapragada dismissed the idea outright: “A lot of folks think about, ‘Oh, don’t bother studying computer science or that coding is dead,’ and I just fundamentally disagree,” she said, as per a report by Business Insider.

She argues that AI doesn’t replace programming but rather adds another abstraction layer—continuing a decades-long trend. “We don’t program in assembly anymore. Most of us don’t even program in C,” she said. “So to me, [AI] will be ways that you tell the computer what to do… It’ll just be at a much higher level of abstraction, which is great. It democratises.”

While she imagines the emergence of “software operators” instead of traditional engineers, Chennapragada maintains that the mindset behind coding—the systems thinking and problem-solving—will remain essential. “You still need to understand computer science,” she said.

She also weighed in on the shifting role of project managers in an AI-fueled workplace. With tools making prototyping easier than ever, the volume of ideas is skyrocketing—meaning PMs must refine their instincts. “Taste will matter more than ever,” she said, referring to the ability to sift meaningful ideas from the noise. “There’s going to be a massive increase in the supply of prototypes. It raises the floor, but it raises the ceiling as well.”

Chennapragada noted a cultural shift too: less gatekeeping and more grassroots initiative. “There used to be more of a default instinct to ask the product leader,” she said. “Now, you have to earn the right to judge.”