Rails creator DHH announces 37signals will stop writing code by hand
David Heinemeier Hansson said at the Rails World keynote that 37signals will no longer write code manually, relying on AI tools instead.
At the Rails World keynote, David Heinemeier Hansson announced that his company, 37signals, will cease writing code by hand, marking the move as a recognition of current industry trends. Hand-written code will be used only as a fallback when AI-generated code does not meet expectations, allowing engineers to "fix the machine". He cited the rapid adoption of AI coding assistants like OpenAI's Codex, Anthropic's Claude Code, and Cursor over the past year.
A poll of more than 150 software engineers revealed that over 45% feel they are keeping pace with AI tools, while 17.5% choose not to use them at all. Hansson emphasized that the central challenge now is how to maximize the benefits of AI in software development.
Why it matters
The shift signals a broader industry move toward AI-driven software development, affecting how developers work and how code is produced.
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