Jan 9, 2020 · 16m · a16z

We Don't All Need to Learn to Code

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gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

At the a16z Summit, Andreessen Horowitz General Partner David Ulevitch argues that modern enterprise software should adopt developer mindsets and design paradigms—such as automation, revision control, and low-latency interaction—to empower every employee as a high-efficiency power user without needing to learn how to code.

Chapters · click to jump

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Non-technical workers are starting to think and work like developers open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Open source movement could not function without revision control open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch defines low-latency communication as instant human-to-computer instruction open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: No software exists to optimize sales commission plans using historical data open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Developers automate repetitive tasks due to constructive laziness open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Software market is shifting toward tools empowering users' highest potential open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Speech and brain-computer interfaces are fundamentally command lines open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Modern search is entirely controlled by an advertising company open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Treating org structure as code unlocks better growth planning open →

1 statement ▾

Ulevitch: Top Cisco sales reps routinely avoided using Salesforce open →

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →

The host as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.0 The host pushing back 0.0

speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

Sharpest disagreement ▶ 0:00 No combativeness in monologue

The recording is a solo presentation delivered by the guest without interaction or disagreement.

Hardest push from the host ▶ 0:00 No host pushback in monologue

The host does not participate in this presentation, resulting in zero host pushback throughout.

Biggest teaching moment ▶ 0:00 No host schooling in monologue

Because no host is present during the keynote speech, direct schooling of a host does not take place.

The host holds their own ▶ 0:00 No host hits back in monologue

The host is absent from the transcript, so no host expertise or pushback is demonstrated.

the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each

Chapter	Topic	The host as informed peer	Guest teaching	Guest disagreement	The host pushing back	Why
	Title Card and Important Disclosures	0	0	0	0	David Ulevitch delivers a solo keynote presentation introducing the developer mindset; as a monologue segment, host-side scores are set to zero.
	Collaboration at Scale: Synchronous, Asynchronous, and Revision Control	0	0	0	0	Ulevitch explains developer collaboration paradigms such as revision control and low-latency communication in a monologue format.
	Leveraging Unlimited Storage and Compute: Data-Driven Performance	0	0	0	0	The speaker details storage, compute, and the 'don't repeat yourself' principle without any host interaction.
	User Adaptation and the Smartphone Evolution	0	0	0	0	Ulevitch discusses user adaptation using the iPhone evolution as an analogy and presents Superhuman and Command-E.
	Enterprise Software Example 3: ChartHop and Organization as Code	0	0	0	0	The speaker highlights ChartHop and People.ai as enterprise tools applying developer concepts to business operations.
	Enterprise Software Example 5: Polarity and Collective Hive Mind	0	0	0	0	Ulevitch concludes his solo presentation by describing Polarity and bottom-up enterprise software purchasing dynamics.

Statements from this episode (10)

Prediction Not checkable as stated

Ulevitch: Non-technical workers are starting to think and work like developers

“And what gets me excited is that I think we're all starting to think and work like developers.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 1:00

What-if

Ulevitch: Open source movement could not function without revision control

“The entire open source movement would not work without the revision control system.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 3:23

Insight

Ulevitch defines low-latency communication as instant human-to-computer instruction

“This is, to me, really simply the art of communicating an idea in your head as quickly as possible into the computer as an instruction.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 3:41

Assertion Contradicted

Ulevitch: No software exists to optimize sales commission plans using historical data

“Like when I'm helping somebody with a sales commission plan, there's no software that's looking back in time at all the previous sales commission plans and all the performance telling me, hey, if you just turn these knobs, you might improve revenue.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 5:23

Insight

Ulevitch: Developers automate repetitive tasks due to constructive laziness

“I will say that I think developers are unfailingly the laziest people I know. And I say that as a compliment. Anytime they have to do work that has to be done over and over again, or they have to use a component that they think they might reuse again in the fu…”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 5:44

Insight

Ulevitch: Software market is shifting toward tools empowering users' highest potential

“I think we're in a major transition in the market where people want software that really appeals to their highest and best use, and not just like the lowest common denominator.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 7:34

Insight

Ulevitch: Speech and brain-computer interfaces are fundamentally command lines

“But all of those kinds of new features coming out, they essentially turn something into a command line. They translate your speech or your thought into a command line. So the sooner that we embrace and adopt command line interfaces, the sooner we'll be ready t…”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 8:25

Opinion

Ulevitch: Modern search is entirely controlled by an advertising company

“When I think about search today, it's a narrative that's almost entirely controlled by an advertising company.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 9:30

Insight

Ulevitch: Treating org structure as code unlocks better growth planning

“Really, by treating the organization as code and leveraging these developer paradigms, you're able to answer these questions that organizations today that are trying to be more thoughtful about their planning and their growth are asking.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 11:09

Assertion Not checkable as stated

Ulevitch: Top Cisco sales reps routinely avoided using Salesforce

“The best sales reps at Cisco who had the biggest deals never put them into Salesforce.”

David Ulevitch Jan 9, 2020 ▶ 12:14

We Don't All Need to Learn to Code

How this conversation actually went

Statements from this episode (10)

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