“AI utilization” is becoming commonplace in the engineering community.
In such an era, I’ve been thinking about what kind of engineer we should aspire to be.

On one hand, there’s the “Brilliant Shark” type engineer—those with overwhelming technical skills but who neglect teamwork.
On the other hand, there are engineers with decent technical skills who excel at AI utilization and serve as team facilitators.

Through extensive use of Claude Code, I’ve come to see that the latter has a brighter future ahead.
Let me share my thoughts on “the future engineer archetype” based on my experience with AI tools.

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is an AI development support tool provided by Anthropic that operates via command line.
Rather than just a code generation tool, its key feature is understanding entire projects and executing tasks step by step.

It can grasp file structures and execute changes across multiple files at once.
It feels like having “another engineer” join your team, enabling seamless development collaboration.

How Claude Code Changed My Development Style

Multitasking Capability: Working Like a Team Even Solo

I believe the strength of multi-person teams lies in task distribution and review/checking from multiple perspectives.
Using Claude Code, I can now enjoy these benefits even when working alone.

For example, while Claude Code handles additional feature development, I can work on UI adjustments or test case planning in another window.
Tasks that previously had to be done sequentially can now be performed in parallel.

Dramatically Faster Completion of Want-Level Tasks

The completion speed of “want to do but no time” tasks that I used to postpone has improved significantly.

  • Design fine-tuning
  • Technical debt resolution
  • Developer experience improvements

I now delegate these “tasks that don’t directly impact users but affect development efficiency” to Claude Code.
Focusing on important tasks and my preferred tasks while delegating detailed work has improved development quality and made the development process more enjoyable.

Improved Task Prioritization Accuracy

Problem identification and importance-based labeling are also Claude Code’s strengths.
By analyzing the same code from different perspectives—“design issues,” “security concerns,” “performance problems”—I can discover issues that might be overlooked when working solo.

Differences Between Humans and Claude Code

Overwhelming Difference in Operating Hours

While humans take hours for tasks from problem identification through implementation, Claude Code completes refactoring in much shorter timeframes.
When comparing pure work efficiency, AI clearly has the advantage.

Precision and Quality Comparison

What Claude Code excels at:

  • Analysis and improvement of existing code
  • Consistent coding practices
  • Changes spanning multiple files

What humans excel at:

  • Understanding and translating business requirements
  • User experience design
  • Team communication

Impact on Junior Engineers

Benefits: Improved Development Speed and Sprint Efficiency

Accelerated Learning Speed
Claude Code serves as an excellent mentor.
Code explanations, best practice suggestions, error cause analysis—you can casually ask questions anytime, contributing to personal learning.

Enhanced Development Speed
Time-consuming tasks like basic feature implementation and test code generation can be streamlined.
Improvements in both quality and quantity of deliverables can be expected.

Drawbacks: Intensified Competitive Environment

The Powerful Combination of Veterans + AI
When experienced senior engineers master Claude Code, their productivity becomes unimaginable.
Competition becomes increasingly fierce when skill gaps are compounded by AI utilization skill differences.

Operating Hours Gap
To put it bluntly, Claude Code can operate 24 hours a day.
The time gap between human 8-hour workdays vs AI’s 24-hour operation significantly impacts project and task progression speed.

Future Prospects by Engineer Type

Brilliant Shark Type: Technically Specialized but Lacks Cooperation

This type has overwhelming technical skills but neglects teamwork.

Characteristics

  • Absolute confidence in personal technical abilities
  • Tendency to not listen to others’ opinions
  • Dismissing AI tools as “cheating”
  • Overly harsh feedback during code reviews

As AI begins to replace technical tasks, differentiation through pure technical skill alone becomes difficult.

Moreover, in today’s world where team collaboration is highly valued, lacking cooperation skills puts one at a significant disadvantage.

Stubborn Craftsman Type: Adhering to Traditional Methods

This type has years of experience and achievements but is reluctant to adopt new technologies or tools.

Characteristics

  • “Old-fashioned methods are best” mentality
  • Resistance to AI utilization
  • Tendency to avoid new frameworks and methodologies
  • Decision-making based on past experience

Considering the pace of technological advancement, adaptability seems crucial.

Particularly in environments where AI utilization becomes standard, the risk of being left behind is high.

AI-Collaborative Type: Balance-Focused Engineers

This type develops technical skills, human skills, and AI utilization abilities in a balanced manner.

Characteristics

  • Proactive AI tool utilization
  • Emphasis on team communication
  • Ability to handle both technical problem-solving and human relationship coordination
  • Continuous learning mindset

I believe the approach of adapting to technological progress while creating uniquely human value is ideal.

Through AI collaboration, maximizing individual productivity while contributing to team success seems like the perfect approach.

The Option to Not Use AI is Disappearing

AI Utilization as an Essential Skill

AI utilization is no longer “nice to have” but becoming “expected.”
It should become basic literacy at the same level as Excel operations or Git usage.

Limitations of Competing on Technical Skills Alone

Previously, engineers’ technical skill levels directly translated to value.
However, now that AI can substitute for much technical work, differentiation through pure technical skill alone becomes increasingly challenging.

What I believe will become important instead:

  • Business Understanding: Ability to translate technology into business value
  • Communication Skills: Coordination and explanation abilities within and outside teams
  • AI Utilization Skills: Ability to efficiently master AI tools
  • Continuous Learning: Ability to keep adapting to change

Required Skill Sets

Importance of Human Skills

Role as Team Facilitator
Beyond technical problem-solving, serving as a coordinator and catalyst within teams becomes crucial.
Engineers who can bridge different roles (designers, product managers, sales, etc.) will see their value increase.

Soft Skill Development

  • Listening skills: Correctly understanding others’ opinions
  • Explanation skills: Communicating technical content clearly
  • Coordination skills: Managing stakeholder relationships
  • Empathy: Understanding team members’ situations

Management Capabilities

Project Management Skills
The ability to manage project progress and resource allocation while utilizing AI tools.
Skills to design appropriate human-AI collaboration and build optimal development processes are essential.

Quality Management of Deliverables
Quality evaluation of AI-generated code and identifying improvement points.
The ability to appropriately evaluate and improve AI output is arguably essential.

Start Using Claude Code

Begin with Small Tasks

  • Existing code refactoring
  • Test code generation
  • Documentation updates

Gradually Tackle Complex Tasks

  • New feature implementation
  • Performance improvements
  • Architecture reviews

Strengthening Soft Skills

Daily Practices

  • Provide constructive feedback in code reviews
  • Create opportunities to explain technical content to non-engineers
  • Actively participate in team discussions
  • Engage in mentoring and junior guidance

Becoming a Beloved Engineer

Future engineers will need both AI collaboration capabilities and uniquely human value.

The overwhelming technical skills of Brilliant Shark-type engineers are certainly attractive.
However, for consistently delivering team results, “beloved engineers” who combine cooperation and AI utilization skills will hold higher value.

Mastering tools like Claude Code while pursuing uniquely human value.

I believe engineers with such balanced sensibilities will be essential in the coming era.