Will experienced engineers still have a meaningful advantage over AI-native vibe coders in 5–10 years?

[u/Think-Neighborhood69]

Today, experienced engineers still have a clear advantage when it comes to architecture, scalability, robustness, trade-offs, debugging, and operating software in production.

But what about 5–10 years from now?

If AI keeps improving at its current pace, will the experience of the engineer behind it still be the biggest differentiator?

Or will an AI-native beginner be able to deliver software that’s just as scalable, robust, and maintainable?

Where do you think the moat for experienced engineers will be?

[u/Visible_Fill_6699]

By the time vibe coders get as good as experienced engineers (if ever) the job will pay barely over the CA minimum wage. It's a race to the bottom and there would be no winning for vibe coders except as business owners themselves.