Software Developers Are All Managers Now
InfoWorld, Wednesday, September 16th, 2026
Directing coding agents requires the same skills as managing people: clear assignments, context, checkpoints and evaluation.
The industry long ago created Architect, Staff Developer and Chief Scientist roles so strong coders would not have to become people managers to advance, but seniority always meant dealing with more people anyway. Coding agents extend that dynamic to everyone.
Like humans, agents make bad decisions, write bugs and do things they were not asked to do, so they need clear instructions, wise guidance and the right working environment, plus supervision to stay on track.
Zide Software's Jim Bourke argues a coding agent is most useful when treated like an employee rather than an autocomplete tool: it needs a clear assignment, the right context, a safe place to work, checkpoints and a way to evaluate the result.