• Salah Abdullah Al-attar - Editor-in-Chief

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Coinbase CEO fires engineers who refused to use AI..

Transformations in the software industry are accelerating at an unprecedented pace as AI tools enter the heart of development. Using these tools is no longer an experiential option or a luxury, but a prerequisite for accelerating performance, reducing costs, and increasing productivity.

Coinbase provided a stark example of how companies are coping with this wave, with CEO Brian Armstrong making the crucial decision to fire engineers who did not respond to the experimentation with the company's AI tools.The move has sparked a wide debate about the limits of assertiveness, and whether compelling employees to adopt new technologies is the best way to go.


How the story started inside Coinbase

The details of the story began when Coinbase provided mass licenses for tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor to all of its engineers. The goal was to make smart assistants a part of the daily workflow.

But some leaders at the company predicted that the adoption process would be slow, and that half of the team might still be away from using these tools even after several months. This idea seemed unacceptable to Armstrong, who argued that time no longer allowed for a slowdown in the adoption of tools that represented the future of the industry.


Armstrong
made an unconventional decision, posting a clear message on the engineering team's Slack channel in which he emphasized that AI is a top priority for the company. He called on all engineers to try out the tools in just one week, explaining that the initial goal is to learn about the tools and start exploring their potential.

That message was a stark warning that this phase could no longer be postponed. As the deadline expired, Armstrong invited engineers who did not comply to a meeting on Saturday. Some employees offered excuses such as travel or vacation, which Armstrong accepted, but others did not provide any rationale.

They immediately found themselves out of the company. Armstrong later acknowledged that it was harsh but saw it as necessary to send a strong message that the company does not tolerate slowness in adopting the technology it sees as part of its future strategy.

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