Quoting D. Richard Hipp
SQLite creator argues AI will transform programming jobs, not eliminate them, like SQL did to COBOL
“That didn't mean programmers went away. It just meant the job changed a little bit.”
D. Richard Hipp, creator of SQLite, draws a historical parallel between SQL's displacement of COBOL programmers and AI's current impact on software development. His argument is that SQL automated expensive manual query-writing work but didn't eliminate programmers—it just shifted the role. The analogy is a measured counterpoint to AI job-elimination fears, though it comes from a brief YouTube clip rather than a formal statement.