Anthropic Claude AI coding experience: Former Dropbox CTO and the managing partner at South Park Commons, Aditya Agarwal, has sparked a wider conversation in the tech community after sharing a deeply personal reflection on LinkedIn and social media platform X about his experience working with Claude, an AI assistant, developed by Anthropic. His post captures a mix of awe, sadness, and disorientation as artificial intelligence begins to reshape skills that once defined entire careers.
Aditya Agarwal Shares Emotional Take on Coding With Anthropic’s Claude AI
In his post, Agarwal described spending a weekend writing code with Claude and coming to a striking realization, “I spent a lot of time over the weekend writing code with Claude. And it was very clear that we will never ever write code by hand again. It doesn’t make any sense to do so,” adding, “Something I was very good at is now free and abundant. I am happy…but disoriented.”
Claude AI Sparks Identity Shift for Veteran Software Engineers
Alongside coding, Agarwal reflected on another part of his early career, building social networks. He noted that similar systems are now being generated by AI “lobster-agents.” While the idea may sound whimsical, he pointed out that when viewed at scale, the output is almost indistinguishable from what humans create across the broader internet.
He said that, “So both the form and function of my early career are now produced by AI.”
The emotional weight of that realization runs through his post. Agarwal said he feels happy, but also sad and confused, adding that this moment in time is unexpectedly reminding him what it feels like to be human again.
Concluding his post, Agarwal wrote, “If anything, this whole period is showing me what it is like to be human again.
How AI Is Replacing Manual Coding in Modern Development Workflows
His reflection comes as AI tools rapidly change how software is built. Research shows that AI is already embedded in modern development workflows. According to data published by Index.dev, AI tools have become integrated into everyday developer workflows, with around 84% of developers using or planning to use AI for coding tasks, and roughly 41% of all code being AI‑generated in current projects.
Other reports highlight how these tools are reshaping productivity. Studies summarized by Second Talent note that developers often save time on repetitive tasks like debugging, boilerplate code, and documentation, sometimes reporting speed improvements of 30 to 60 percent in specific workflows.
At the same time, researchers caution that the shift is not purely frictionless. A study reported by Business Insider in 2025 found that some experienced developers may initially take longer to complete tasks with AI tools due to the need for reviewing, correcting, and validating AI-generated code.
AI Coding Tools Deliver Speed, but at an Emotional Cost
Agarwal’s message reflects at the emotional side of rapid technological change, the loss of familiar craftsmanship, the confusion of shifting identity, and the quiet realization that progress can feel both exciting and painful at the same time.