Coinbase CEO 'Takes Matters Into Own Hands' by Firing Employees Who Refuse to Use AI, Aims for 50% of Code to Be AI-Generated This Quarter
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AIbase reports — Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong revealed in a podcast this Wednesday that he has fired employees who refused to adopt AI technology, highlighting the growing pressure on tech workers to use AI tools.
Pushing AI Adoption Aggressively
Armstrong detailed his "take-charge" approach in the podcast. When told it would take two quarters to achieve a 50% adoption rate for AI tools, he questioned, "Why can't every engineer be onboarded by the end of this week?"
Subsequently, Armstrong posted a message in the company's Slack group, demanding engineers "at least familiarize themselves" with AI tools by the end of the week. He explicitly warned, "If this isn't done, I will call a meeting on Saturday with everyone who hasn't completed this task."
On the day of the Saturday meeting, only a few employees joined the call. Armstrong stated, "Some had valid reasons, like just returning from travel. Others had no valid excuses and were subsequently let go."
Ambitious AI Goals
Armstrong emphasized that this "hardline" approach was meant to convey the importance and credibility of AI technology to employees. Coinbase has begun hosting monthly "AI speed training" sessions, with the goal of having 50% of its code written by AI by the end of the quarter.
AI adoption isn't limited to engineers; the design team has also "heavily utilized it." Armstrong himself noted, "Even as CEO, I use it frequently."
Reflecting Industry Trends
This move reflects the broader pressure in the tech industry for employees to adopt AI tools. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also previously urged employees to use AI tools more in their daily work. According to a June Gallup survey, management uses AI almost twice as frequently as regular employees.
Despite the aggressive push for AI adoption, Armstrong also stressed that he doesn't expect employees to rely entirely on AI: "Over-reliance on AI is also undesirable. Code reviews must be conducted, proper checks must be in place, and there must be human involvement in the process."
Currently, Coinbase has not commented further on the matter.