Autodesk CEO Says Interdisciplinary Thinking Is Now More Vital Than Coding Amid AI’s Disruption of Tech Jobs

Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost said that interdisciplinary thinking and understanding at systems are now more critical than coding, because artificial intelligence is increasingly taking basic programming tasks used to software engineers.

Anagnost, who has a doctorate. In aeronautical and computer engineering, said in an interview with Business Insider that the traditional accent on deep and narrow expertise is overthrown by AI tools capable of generating code with a minimum of human contribution.

“If the coding models will do the code for you,” he explained, “what is more important is that you understand that there is all this notion of thought at the level of systems and interdisciplinary.”

His comments reflect a changing philosophy in the world of technology, where tools like the OpenAi Codex and the Github Copilot have facilitated non-programmers to generate functional software. Anagnost argued that coding is no longer the only area of trained computer scientists and that the future belongs to what it called “creative orchestrators” – humans that manage the results between disciplines while using AI to execute technical details.

AI changes the nature of the work

Anagnost’s remarks are involved at a time when artificial intelligence disrupts the foundation of software development. The coding assistants fed by AI now allow those who do not have computer diplomas to create applications, modifying who can participate in the creation of software.

“There is no doubt that we are entering the future, more people will generate code in a way that performs computers in a new and interesting way,” said Anagnost. “It will be just different people.”

He believes that the tools of AI democratize the development of software, reducing the need for in -depth coding education for many roles. Rather than focusing on syntax or algorithms, future technology professionals will have to understand the broader context: how products work, how to communicate between disciplines and how to guide AI agents to provide results.

A change in hiring and education

This change also transforms the way companies think of hiring. According to Anagnost, software companies have traditionally completed teams made up of product managers, designers, engineers and AQ testers. With increasingly handled AI systems, these teams can shrink with two key players: a designer and a human partner orchestrating AI systems.

“There will probably be fewer people with traditional computer diplomas in software companies,” he said, “but there will probably be more people who create products than ever before.”

This means that the education system must also evolve. Anagnost called on schools and universities to focus on teaching critical thinking, creative problems of problems and interdisciplinary collaboration – all skills that will become more vital as AI becomes more capable.

In particular, he underlined the need for a “total thought of systems” – the ability to understand how several systems interact to produce a result – as a determining trait of new generation technological workforce.

A wider conversation in technology

Anagnost’s views reflect an increasing feeling in Silicon Valley, where managers and engineers reconcile with the potential of AI to eliminate or reshape traditional roles. Many technology leaders, including Elon Musk and Sam Altman, have warned that AI would redefine not only who builds software, but how it is built, with broader implications for education, labor markets and innovation.

Already, AI offers everything, software tests to customer service and product design. While these tools continue to evolve, Anagnost believes that success in industry will depend less on raw technical skills and more on the ability to manage and integrate various ideas, teams and tools.

He said that the world is heading for a future where creativity and coordination have more than the code.