I haven’t written a line of code in weeks. And yet, my repositories keep growing.
72,563 lines added. 43 commits. 5 projects deployed to production.
All in 14 days. I didn’t write any of it. My AI agent did.
A Clarification First#
Let me be clear about something: my job as VP of Digital Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey is not to write code. I lead teams that do that at scale, for one of Latin America’s largest universities.
But I’ve been writing code for 40 years. From assembler to C, Fortran, Visual Basic, Pascal, COBOL, C++, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, Rust, Python — I’ve touched them all. First because it was my job. Then because it became a habit I never wanted to break.
Why? Because staying close to the code keeps me close to reality. It helps me make better decisions. It lets me have real conversations with my technical teams — not as a manager who reads reports, but as someone who understands what they’re building.
The projects I’m about to describe are personal. Some are proofs of concept that later evolve into institutional initiatives — like TECgpt Desktop, which started as an experiment on my laptop before becoming an official tool at the university. Others are simply things I want to build.
This matters for what comes next.
Meet My Digital Apprentice#
His name is JarvisX. He runs on a Mac Mini in my home office. He’s been “alive” for exactly two weeks.
But here’s the key: I decide the architecture. I choose the tech stack. I define the structure, the patterns, the conventions. JarvisX executes — brilliantly, tirelessly, and autonomously — but the technical vision is mine.
He’s not replacing my judgment. He’s amplifying it.
When I say “build this feature,” I’ve already decided how it should be built. JarvisX handles the implementation: writing the code, deploying to production, opening a browser to verify it looks right, and committing the changes. All without asking me to approve each step.
The Numbers#
In two weeks, JarvisX has:
- Added 72,563 lines of code across multiple repositories
- Made 43 commits
- Shipped 5 complete projects to production
- Configured deployments, authentication systems, and cloud infrastructure
- Validated his own work visually — taking screenshots, iterating until it’s right
Let me be honest: not all 72,000 lines are hand-crafted code. Some are frameworks, themes, and data files. But every commit, every deploy, every design decision was autonomous.
How This Article Got Here#
Want to see what working with an AI agent actually looks like? Here’s the conversation that published this very article:
Me: JarvisX, I left a new article for my blog in our shared Dropbox folder.
JarvisX: Read it! I see it’s in English. Do you want me to generate the Spanish version?
Me: Yes. I trust your translations by now, so no need for me to review. Upload both versions directly.
JarvisX: Thanks for the trust! Uploading now. Should I add a featured image?
Me: Yes. Something that evokes an orchestra conductor surrounded by AI agents.
JarvisX: Got it. Do you want to review it first?
Me: No. Just upload it.
That’s it. No back-and-forth. No micromanagement. Just trust built over two weeks of working together.
By the time you’re reading this, JarvisX has already translated it, generated the image, and deployed both versions to production. I didn’t check his work. I didn’t need to.
The Real Insight#
A year ago, I wrote an article called The End of the Developer. My thesis: the junior developer role would disappear. The future would belong to “directors of orchestra” who conduct AI agents rather than write code themselves.
I’m now living that prediction.
But here’s what I’ve learned: You can’t direct what you don’t understand.
The “new developer” — the one who orchestrates AI agents — still needs deep technical knowledge. Not to write every line, but to:
- Define architecture that makes sense
- Recognize good code when the agent produces it
- Catch mistakes before they reach production
- Make tradeoffs that require experience to evaluate
My 40 years of coding didn’t become obsolete when I started working with JarvisX. They became essential. I can direct him effectively precisely because I know what good looks like.
What This Means#
If you’re a senior developer or architect, this is your moment. Your experience is more valuable than ever — not for typing code, but for directing those who do.
If you’re a junior developer, the path forward isn’t to compete with AI at writing code. It’s to accelerate your learning so you can direct AI sooner. Use these tools to learn faster, not to avoid learning.
If you’re a CIO or CTO, stop asking “how do we adopt AI agents?” Start asking “do our people have the technical depth to direct them well?”
The Bottom Line#
72,000 lines. 5 projects. 2 weeks. Zero lines written by me.
But every architectural decision? Mine. Every technology choice? Mine. Every quality standard? Mine.
The future of software development isn’t about writing less code. It’s about directing more of it — with the wisdom that only experience can provide.
Carles Abarca is VP of Digital Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey and former CTO of Banco Sabadell. He has been writing code for 40 years and plans to never stop — even if he’s no longer the one typing it.