GitHub COO: Why Now Is the BEST Time to Be a Developer | Kyle Diagle

GitHub COO Kyle Dagel shares his perspective on the state of AI and coding, arguing that now is the best time to be a developer. He explains the shift from AI code completion to agentic AI that can break down and implement entire applications autonomously. Dagel draws historical parallels — from punch cards to assembly to high-level languages — to argue that each abstraction layer created more developer demand, not less. He emphasizes that human problem-identification and contextual understanding remain irreplaceable, and advises students and early-career developers to embrace AI tools natively, highlighting intern examples at GitHub where AI-assisted work compressed months of effort into weeks. He stresses that hiring now focuses on how candidates think and make tool decisions, not just algorithmic knowledge.