GoKawiilThoughtworks CTO explains developers' hesitancy toward agentic coding tools
Rachel Laycock, CTO at Thoughtworks, writes that many skilled developers remain cautious about fully adopting AI coding agents despite the firm's history of embracing early tools and practices like continuous integration and automated testing. She says a Technology Radar team discussion in September helped clarify that the hesitation isn't primarily about job security or love of hand-written code, but a deeper concern tied to quality and production-readiness.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Laycock's account suggests the resistance stems from professional values around building software that is maintainable and reliable in production, not just functional in a demo. This framing implies that wider agentic coding adoption may depend on agents improving code quality and long-term maintainability, rather than simply speeding up output. Her perspective, as a technology leader whose company has historically championed new development practices, carries some weight in shaping how the industry discusses AI-assisted coding.
- Rachel Laycock reports many skilled developers are hesitant about fully adopting coding agents.
- She attributes this to concerns about code quality and production-readiness rather than job fears alone.
- A Thoughtworks Technology Radar discussion in September helped crystallize this observation.
Source: martinfowler.com — Rachel Laycock, 2026-10-29
Published there as: “Why are good developers so wary of agentic development?”
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