Why AI Won't Replace Web Developers π«
Despite claims AI will eliminate developers, the need for thoughtful, creative web development remains essential. Here's why AI can't fully replace humans.

Justin Jackson
14.4K views β’ Feb 13, 2025

About this video
While VCs like Chris Sacca claim "we're super f*cked" and that AI will eliminate the need for developers, I'm not convinced. AI won't replace the thoughtful product development a skilled programmer can bring to a SaaS.
To me, this "AI will build your app for you" hype feels like previously failed predictions around no code, open source alternatives, "once.com," deploy to Heroku, etc...
Chapters:
00:00 Chris Sacca's dire prediction to @timferriss about AI replacing coding
02:23 Brian Casel: In the future, will everyone just use AI to build their own little apps?
02:42 Tyler King: Is this wave of AI hype similar to the no-code wave?
03:22 The limitations of cobbled-together products
04:40 Colleen Schnettler: AI's limitations with integrated, systems level thinking
05:22 Historical parallel: the threat of open source alternatives
06:12 The Once.com experiment and self-hosting challenges
07:40 Problems with AI-generated code maintenance
08:49 Why great software requires human decision-making
09:35 AI's current limitations in end-to-end creation
π What's your experience with AI coding tools? Have they helped or created more problems? Share below!
π Read my post on this topic: "AI isn't going to build your startup"
https://justinjackson.ca/ai-build-saas
β More about me: β
I'm Justin Jackson. I founded https://transistor.fm (a podcast hosting and analytics platform) with Jon Buda.
I write, podcast, and make videos about bootstrapping, startups, marketing, calm companies, and business ethics.
My blog: https://justinjackson.ca
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/justinjackson.ca
To me, this "AI will build your app for you" hype feels like previously failed predictions around no code, open source alternatives, "once.com," deploy to Heroku, etc...
Chapters:
00:00 Chris Sacca's dire prediction to @timferriss about AI replacing coding
02:23 Brian Casel: In the future, will everyone just use AI to build their own little apps?
02:42 Tyler King: Is this wave of AI hype similar to the no-code wave?
03:22 The limitations of cobbled-together products
04:40 Colleen Schnettler: AI's limitations with integrated, systems level thinking
05:22 Historical parallel: the threat of open source alternatives
06:12 The Once.com experiment and self-hosting challenges
07:40 Problems with AI-generated code maintenance
08:49 Why great software requires human decision-making
09:35 AI's current limitations in end-to-end creation
π What's your experience with AI coding tools? Have they helped or created more problems? Share below!
π Read my post on this topic: "AI isn't going to build your startup"
https://justinjackson.ca/ai-build-saas
β More about me: β
I'm Justin Jackson. I founded https://transistor.fm (a podcast hosting and analytics platform) with Jon Buda.
I write, podcast, and make videos about bootstrapping, startups, marketing, calm companies, and business ethics.
My blog: https://justinjackson.ca
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/justinjackson.ca
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Video Information
Views
14.4K
Likes
477
Duration
10:51
Published
Feb 13, 2025
User Reviews
4.6
(2)