Back to the Metal
The article discusses the evolution of software engineering towards higher levels of abstraction over the past 50 years. It highlights a recent shift towards a focus on foundational skills and knowledge in response to advancements in AI and machine learning. The author expresses a desire to return to the basics of programming and computer science to remain relevant in a rapidly changing field.
- ▪Software engineering has evolved from low-level programming to high-level abstractions over the last 50 years.
- ▪Recent advancements in AI and agentic coding are changing the role of software developers significantly.
- ▪The author believes that a strong foundation in mathematics and machine learning is essential for future success in the field.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Back to the Metal June 3, 2026 Software engineering has been rising in abstraction for at least, say, the last 50 years. We moved from assembly to C, from C to Java, from SQL to ORMs, and from managing our own infrastructure to AWS. And this was great. It unlocked new markets and made us more productive. You had a small percentage of real hardcore computer science researchers moving the field forward, and a vast number of commercial software developers using high-level tools to ship things. I benefited massively from that. But given the refactoring of our occupation over the last two years, driven by agentic coding, I’m betting the next phase of my career on getting closer to the metal. Or perhaps more accurately: getting closer to the foundations.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Betocmn.
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