Coinbase CEO Fires Engineers Refusing AI Tools Amid Adoption Push

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has mandated the adoption of AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor among the company's engineers, emphasizing the critical importance of AI integration for future operations. After acquiring enterprise licenses, Armstrong set a strict one-week deadline for all engineers to onboard these tools, with non-compliance resulting in termination, a decision he described as "heavy-handed" but necessary to convey the urgency of AI adoption. Some employees who failed to comply without valid reasons were fired following a company-wide meeting Armstrong held to address the issue. Since the mandate, Coinbase has increased AI training efforts and now reports that around one-third of its code is written by AI, reflecting the company's deepening reliance on these technologies. Armstrong's stance mirrors a broader tech industry trend where AI is viewed as essential for efficiency and innovation, with other CEOs warning that resistance to AI could jeopardize jobs. Despite the benefits, there remain concerns about managing AI-generated code and workforce impacts, highlighting ongoing challenges in integrating AI tools effectively.