Why 'Just Coding' Won't Save You in 2026 (My Take on Akshay Saini's Advice)

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

I recently watched a video by Akshay Saini titled “The Software Engineer Who Will WIN in 2026,” and it hit home. As developers, we often get stuck in the loop of learning the “next new framework,” but Akshay points out a hard truth: coding itself is no longer the differentiator.

If you haven’t seen the video yet, I highly recommend it – you can find it here. Below are my top takeaways and why I think he’s 100 % right.

The Problem with “Just Coding”

For years we’ve categorized ourselves as “I’m a Frontend Dev” or “I’m a Backend Dev.” Akshay argues that by 2026 those silos will be dead.

• Frontend devs: need to understand how the backend and deployment pipelines work.
• Backend devs: need to understand UI/UX and client‑side logic.

The goal isn’t to know everything by heart, but to use AI to bridge skill gaps and build the whole product. As he said, we need to use AI to 10× our productivity, not just to write a function faster.

Value Over Code

We often measure our day by how many Jira tickets we move to “Done.” In a world where code is cheap, value is expensive.

“If your code is not creating value, it’s just garbage.” — Akshay Saini

The engineers who will “win” in 2026 are the ones who care about the product outcome, not just the code output. We have to move from being task completers to problem solvers.

The Shift to Orchestration

If AI is writing the implementation, what is left for us? Decisions.

• System Design is becoming the most critical skill because AI can suggest many ways to build a feature, but it can’t always tell you which one is right for your specific constraints, security needs, or scale.
• The human element now focuses on architectural trade‑offs: moving from writing the “how” to deciding the “what” and “why.”

Personal Takeaway

I’ve felt this shift happening for a while. It’s scary to think that “being a good coder” isn’t enough anymore, but it’s also liberating. It means we can stop stressing over memorizing syntax and start focusing on building cool, valuable things.

I’m planning to pivot my learning path toward System Design and AI orchestration rather than deep‑diving into another JavaScript framework.

Discussion

What do you think? Is AI making pure coding skills obsolete, or is this just hype?

Let me know in the comments!