p.enthalabs

Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?

9 points · 9 visible top comments · 2026-08-28 17:40:39 UTC

news.ycombinator.com · Read Story HN original

Nowadays, almost everyone codes with AI, right? I am a freelancer, and the entire market is now setting deadlines based on AI-assisted coding speeds. If you don't use AI, you simply cannot meet the deadlines. Because of this, I completely transitioned to AI-driven coding at the beginning of this year (starting around GPT-5.3).

It's not that AI coding isn't fun. It is. But in the beginning, there were still many things AI couldn't do well. The community focus was on "Harness Engineering," attaching MCPs, or deep Prompt Engineering. I actually built and used quite a few custom AI tools during that phase.

In the past, you had to provide not just your intent and direction, but also detailed, step-by-step instructions to reach that goal. Lately, though, even if you skip the detailed instructions, both Claude and GPT-5.6 handle it perfectly. You don't even have to agonize over which model to use. "Graph engineering" is currently trending, but it seems the models have already learned those patterns natively—if you establish a high-level plan with them, they automatically embed the execution policies into it. Whenever I try to learn and apply a new AI engineering technique, the next model update already does it out of the box, making the effort feel pointless.

The real problem is that AI is now too good. It applies ADT patterns, immutability, Option/Maybe, Result patterns, functional programming patterns, monadic chaining, and architectural structures like MVC, MVVM, MVI, and Hexagonal architectures far better than I can. It's heavily demotivating.

All those years I spent memorizing GoF patterns, slowly applying them to my work, and tweaking them into my own style—it all feels meaningless now.

Honestly, the vast majority of freelance work revolves around simple CRUD apps. Sure, there is domain knowledge to memorize, but when it comes to structuring CRUD, using functional techniques for error and value handling, or writing boundary tests, AI is just far more meticulous and capable than I am.

It even feels like AI is better at domain modeling. I try to hypnotize myself into believing I'm still necessary, but realistically, I don't work in Big Tech. I'm a programmer who mostly assembles business logic on top of existing frameworks, and the truth is, AI does my job better. And faster. I don't think I can deny it anymore.

Top-tier developers might still outperform AI, but for the vast majority of us, including myself, that is no longer the reality. To write the kind of code AI generates, I used to have to keep documentation open on a second monitor, think deeply, and constantly Google better approaches. AI just generates it instantly, making my past efforts feel obsolete.

When AI writes better code than I do, how am I supposed to maintain my motivation and identity? I would especially love to hear from other freelance developers. With market deadlines getting tighter and tighter because of AI, how are you handling this transition?

Again, it's not that AI "vibe coding" isn't fun. It is. But entirely separate from that, the stark realization that I am losing my competitive edge is making me increasingly depressed.

Comments

minimaxir · 2026-08-28 17:52:35 UTC
Writing code is only one part of software engineering. Making good engineering decisions is the other, and LLMs aren't optimal at that...yet.
diavelguru · 2026-08-28 17:54:20 UTC
How long have you been working in this field? I ask as if you have numerous years you already know your worth and value irrespective of AI or any other system. If you are still questioning this it indicates to me that you are still in the process of finding yourself and are in the same boat many other folks are in - confronting the existencial crisis of identity as it pertains to work. I suggest do what is necessary to stay employed then on your own time write code by hand for personal or side projects. Be sure to not use AI and learn deployment, devops and infrastructure as much as is needed to be knowledgeable and able to speak to the technology. Then add that to your resume. Keep grinding.
jdw64 · 2026-08-28 18:08:22 UTC
I'm currently a programmer with 8 years of experience(I've been coding for longer than that, but I started earning money from programming around then.). Some might say that's still short, but honestly, I'm not sure. I became a programmer during the COVID-19 hiring boom, and somehow I've managed to survive. But I'm not really sure what I should be doing next.
insung3511 · 2026-08-28 18:24:28 UTC
The key to current AI-era software, IMO, is creating a new application and definition of how to maintain the product, which means how much of the code can be understood in terms of business logic and the real-world problem. They have already achieved code quality enough, they are going to absrub in development life style like people move from Sublime Text to VS Code, too, I think.
linesofcode · 2026-08-28 19:02:41 UTC
Use AI to tackle larger projects and complex problems, that’s how you’ll get your competitive edge back. There have to be freelance projects beyond CRUD.

The “competitive edge” these days is partially being a domain expert, try to find a niche you can grow and learn in. It could be some industry or some tech, but that’s how you differentiate yourself in the LLM age, not by writing code.

billylo · 2026-08-28 19:38:09 UTC
The shift of a craftsman from making products by hand to designing machines that make products is a transition from manual maker to system architect. It happened before.
LM37 · 2026-08-28 19:42:26 UTC
Maybe you (we) can create your identity by moving your focus toward the infrastructure domain, high-level/software design/system design, while also having some kind of domain expertise. That can obviously change over time, but every time I change company or project, I acquire a different kind of domain knowledge. I’ve worked in areas like telecommunications, travel, etc., and many ideas or design choices come from understanding the field and the users who operate within it. Btw, I feel your pain and that feeling that you’ve wasted time, but things change, and maybe some of the things you currently think were useless to study could become useful later, maybe in an interview or in other situations. A good skill is being able to adapt. I’m saying this as if it were easy, but I’m probably the worst at it. Still, at least I try, knowing that it’s a good way to get the best out of changes.
aprdm · 2026-08-28 19:42:37 UTC
Why is your identity tied to writing code ? That reads a bit weird to me at least.

You're being paid to solve business problems, not to write code. Now you can do it without writing code.

Maybe try to form a different identity ? I wouldn't ever define my identity (not before AI) as someone who writes code.

codingdave · 2026-08-28 19:50:29 UTC
> To write the kind of code AI generates, I used to have to keep documentation open on a second monitor, think deeply, and constantly Google better approaches.

This is a double edged sword. Yes, LLMs have given me some really interesting solutions that are advanced enough that I need to really work to follow them. But on the other hand, once I do so, I often find an architectural flaw that is driving the complexity. Once I prompt it to fix that flaw, the code gets simpler, easier to read and understand, and easier to maintain.

I'm starting to treat advanced solutions as a code smell - when I see something that pushes my limits, that means the AI missed a simple solution.

greenowl · 2026-08-28 20:03:53 UTC
Sounds like you are already on the "right" path?

Step 1 is "surrendering" to AI-driven coding.

Beyond that, the new competitive edge for developers everywhere is mastering AI tooling for maximum productivity and velocity.