Coding as Craft: Going Back to the Old Gym

Summary

Recently, Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lütke shared his thoughts on AI’s role in coding, stating that “reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify.” The gist of his message was that AI is revolutionizing how we work, and everybody should jump on board this train or risk being left behind. I’m paraphrasing a bit, but not much – check out the post for complete context and content.This struck a chord with me, but not in the way he intended. In a Slack conversation with fellow Elm engineers, I found myself typing:Interesting timing. I just switched back to vim to get further away from AI interference in my coding. My last talk about AI had the subtitle “automate the boring parts” (inspired by that classic Python book), and that’s what it’s for for me.Coding, however, is not the boring part, it’s my craft and I want to enjoy it and stay sharp. Sure, asking questions and discussing topics with an LLM if that’s all you’ve got at hand is fine. But “reflexive AI usage” sounds like a diagnosis I don’t want next to my name.If people stop the occasional deadlock of grinding teeth, looking at a problem, crying, going for a walk, praying and screaming until suddenly it makes sense (and you learn something!), I’d call it severe regression, not progress.The more I reflected on this exchange, as well as other comments from my betters, the more I realized it connects to something deeper about our relationship with technology and craft. It’s time to talk about going back to the old gym.In Rocky III, there’s a pivotal moment when Mickey confronts Rocky about how he’s lost his edge: “You used to be like supernatural, but the worst thing happened that can happen to any fighter: you got civilized!”Mickey’s solution? “Let’s get outta here, back to the old gym!”This scene has stayed with me because it captures something profound about mastery and skill development. The “old gym” represents the raw, essential conditions where real growth happens. It’s not comfortable. It’s not luxuriou...