The future of software development may be evolving faster than expected. While tech billionaire Elon Musk recently suggested that coding as a profession could largely vanish by the end of 2026, developments inside major tech companies indicate that automation in programming is already accelerating.
Leading firms such as Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft have increasingly integrated AI tools into their software development workflows. Now, Spotify has revealed that it too has embraced AI-led coding at scale.
During its fourth-quarter earnings call, Spotify disclosed that its top engineers have not written manual code since December 2025. Instead, an internal artificial intelligence system known as Honk AI has taken over much of the coding process.
Spotify’s co-CEO, Gustav Soderstrom, made a striking statement during the earnings discussion. He noted that the company’s senior engineers “have not written a single line of code since December.” The comment highlighted how deeply artificial intelligence has been embedded into Spotify’s development operations.
The company’s internal AI framework, called Honk AI, now handles much of the execution layer in software creation.
At the center of Spotify’s transformation is Honk AI, an internal system built on Claude Code and connected with Slack-based “ChatOps” workflows. This integration allows automation across build pipelines and development processes.
Rather than manually coding, engineers now provide instructions to the AI system. Honk AI executes tasks such as:
Fixing software bugs
Adding new features
Managing version updates
Deploying code to production
Engineers primarily review and approve the AI-generated output before final implementation.
Gustav illustrated the efficiency of this system, stating:
“As a concrete example, an engineer at Spotify on their morning commute from Slack on their cell phone can tell Claude to fix a bug or add a new feature to the iOS app,”
He further explained:
“And once Claude finishes that work, the engineer then gets a new version of the app pushed to them on Slack on their phone, so that they can merge it to production — all before they even arrive at the office.”
This example underscores how AI is reshaping productivity by allowing work to be executed remotely and instantly.
Spotify reports that AI-driven development has significantly increased its product release speed. In 2025 alone, the company introduced more than 50 new features and updates to its streaming platform.
In early 2026, Spotify rolled out several AI-powered capabilities within weeks of each other, including:
Prompted Playlists
Page Match for audiobooks
About This Song
According to Gustav, the pace and scale of these launches would have been difficult to achieve without AI integration supporting engineers at every stage.
Despite the growing role of automation, Spotify emphasizes that engineers remain central to the development process. However, their responsibilities are shifting.
Instead of spending time writing repetitive or boilerplate code, engineers now focus on:
System architecture
Strategic product decisions
Code review and validation
Complex problem-solving
Honk AI executes instructions, but human engineers provide oversight, creativity, and critical judgment.
As Gustav noted:
“We foresee this not being the end of the line in terms of AI development, just the beginning,”
This suggests Spotify views AI-assisted development as an evolving process rather than a final destination.
Spotify’s approach reflects a larger trend across the technology sector. AI coding assistants and large language models are increasingly capable of generating complex software, debugging code, and automating deployment.
From AI-assisted development platforms to autonomous coding systems, companies are experimenting with ways to improve efficiency while maintaining quality control. The shift signals a transition from manual programming to AI-supervised engineering.
As automation expands, the definition of “coding” itself may continue to evolve — from hands-on programming to AI orchestration and oversight.
Spotify’s decision to rely heavily on Honk AI for coding represents a significant milestone in the evolution of software development. With top engineers no longer writing manual code since December 2025, the company is demonstrating how AI can reshape traditional engineering workflows.
While concerns remain about the long-term impact on programming jobs, Spotify maintains that engineers are not being replaced — their roles are simply changing. AI handles execution, while humans guide strategy, architecture, and judgment.
As AI-driven development tools continue to advance, Spotify’s model could serve as a blueprint for the future of software engineering across the global tech industry.