EO - "Don’t Learn to Code" Is WRONG | GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke
发布时间:2025-04-09 13:20:08
原节目
以下是将内容翻译成中文:
GitHub 首席执行官托马斯 (Thomas) 充满热情地倡导将编码作为一项基本技能,与物理、地理、文学和数学等传统科目一起教授给孩子们。他认为软件渗透到现代生活的方方面面,理解软件的工作原理对于个人来说至关重要,以便他们成为技术的创造者,而不仅仅是消费者。
托马斯的旅程始于东柏林,他对科技的迷恋最初源于遥控汽车和电脑游戏,在柏林墙倒塌后更加强烈。他购买了他的第一台电脑,一台 Commodore 64,后来在大学里学习了技术专业。他的职业生涯始于梅赛德斯和博世的汽车行业,专注于驾驶辅助和停车系统。2008 年 iPhone SDK 的发布成为了一个关键时刻,激发了他开发移动应用程序的灵感。在金融危机期间,他离开了稳定的工作,共同创立了一家自由开发者公司。
托马斯和他的同事们意识到市场上的需求,创建了 HockeyApp,这是一个为移动应用开发者提供的平台,可以简化 beta 版本的发布和崩溃报告。该平台的成功促使微软在 2014 年对其进行了收购,由于对 iOS 和 Android 开发人员的高需求,这笔交易包括产品公司和承包公司。这次收购标志着托马斯的一个重大转变,他带着家人搬到了西雅图。
托马斯认为他作为一名开发者的经验对于他担任 GitHub 首席执行官来说是宝贵的。他对代码的理解以及对开发者的同情心帮助他与内部工程师团队以及 GitHub 庞大的用户群建立联系。他强调了人工智能对软件开发的变革性影响,使其更容易被初学者上手,并提高了经验丰富的开发者的生产力。
像 GitHub Copilot 和 ChatGPT 这样的人工智能工具通过提供即时代码生成和帮助,降低了有抱负的程序员的入门门槛。这些技术还可以通过自动化重复性任务和加速开发过程,使开发人员能够克服技术债务并专注于创新。托马斯设想,在未来,人工智能代理可以帮助开发人员更快地实现他们的想法,使小型团队能够创建重要的企业。然而,他承认我们距离人工智能能够独立构建像 GitHub 这样复杂的系统还很遥远。人类工程师对于做出架构决策、确保产品与市场匹配以及创造卓越的用户体验仍然至关重要。
他指出,GitHub 的优势在于其规模、开发者对品牌的喜爱以及其在社区中的声誉。该平台拥有庞大且高度活跃的用户群,提供源源不断的反馈。过滤这些反馈以识别需要改进的关键领域是一个持续的挑战。
此外,GitHub 长期存在的远程文化,早于 COVID-19 疫情,通过开源原则和 Slack 等内部沟通工具促进了异步协作。这种远程优先的方法使员工能够在世界任何地方工作,从而营造一个多元化和包容性的环境。
为了在这个快速发展的环境中茁壮成长,托马斯建议有抱负的开发者拥抱人工智能,不断学习,永不停止练习他们的技能。他倡导通过利用人工智能代理来回答问题并协助构建项目,从而实现技术的民主化,无论语言障碍如何。托马斯还分享了他对 GitHub Copilot 的热情,他每天使用它来自动化任务和探索新功能,以及其他人工智能驱动的工具,这些工具通过总结会议、管理电子邮件和生成图像来提高他的生产力。
Thomas, the CEO of GitHub, passionately advocates for teaching coding to children as a fundamental skill alongside traditional subjects like physics, geography, literacy, and math. He argues that software permeates every aspect of modern life, and understanding how it works is crucial for individuals to be creators, not just consumers, of technology.
Thomas's journey began in East Berlin, where his fascination with technology, initially sparked by remote control cars and computer games, intensified after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He purchased his first computer, a Commodore 64, and later pursued technical studies at university. His career started in the automotive industry at Mercedes and Bosch, focusing on driver assistance and parking systems. A pivotal moment came in 2008 with the launch of the iPhone SDK, inspiring him to develop mobile apps. He left his secure job during the financial crisis to co-found a freelance development business.
Recognizing a need in the market, Thomas and his colleagues created HockeyApp, a platform for mobile app developers that streamlined beta build distribution and crash reporting. The platform's success led to its acquisition by Microsoft in 2014, a deal that included both the product company and the contracting company due to the high demand for iOS and Android developers. This acquisition marked a significant transition for Thomas, relocating with his family to Seattle.
Thomas believes his experience as a developer is invaluable in his role as GitHub CEO. His understanding of code and empathy for developers helps him connect with both his internal team of engineers and GitHub's vast user base. He emphasizes the transformative impact of AI on software development, making it more accessible to beginners and boosting productivity for experienced developers.
AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT are lowering the barrier to entry for aspiring coders by providing instant code generation and assistance. These technologies also empower developers to overcome technical debt and focus on innovation by automating repetitive tasks and accelerating the development process. Thomas envisions a future where AI agents can help developers realize their ideas much faster, enabling small teams to create significant businesses. However, he acknowledges that we are far from a point where AI can independently build complex systems like GitHub. Human engineers are still essential for making architectural decisions, ensuring product-market fit, and creating exceptional user experiences.
He notes that GitHub's strength lies in its size, the developers' affection for the brand, and its reputation within the community. The platform has a massive and highly engaged user base, providing a constant stream of feedback. Filtering through this feedback to identify crucial areas for improvement is an ongoing challenge.
Moreover, GitHub's long-standing remote culture, predating the COVID-19 pandemic, promotes asynchronous collaboration through open-source principles and internal communication tools like Slack. This remote-first approach empowers employees to work from anywhere in the world, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment.
To thrive in this rapidly evolving landscape, Thomas advises aspiring developers to embrace AI, continuously learn, and never stop rehearsing their skills. He advocates for democratizing access to technology by leveraging AI agents that can answer questions and assist in building projects, regardless of language barriers. Thomas also shares his enthusiasm for GitHub Copilot, which he uses daily to automate tasks and explore new features, and other AI-powered tools that enhance his productivity by summarizing meetings, managing emails, and generating images.