Coinbase Pushes Hard: Brian Armstrong Threatened to Fire Engineers Who Didn’t Use AI Within a Week

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong showed little patience, giving engineers an ultimatum — adopt AI assistants GitHub Copilot and Cursor within one week or face termination. And some employees really did feel the consequences.

AI Mandate From the Top On the Cheeky Point podcast, speaking with Stripe co-founder John Collison, Armstrong admitted he personally enforced the rule. “Yes, I really did that. Everyone had to onboard to AI within a week. If not, I said I’d meet them on Saturday to understand why,” Armstrong revealed. Initial proposals had suggested onboarding could take several quarters. Armstrong dismissed that idea outright:

“Why wait? Every engineer can get onboarded by the end of the week.”

Tough Approach and Immediate Consequences Bypassing normal management channels, Armstrong posted directly in the company’s Slack, declaring that AI was essential and all engineers had to adopt it. Those who didn’t comply were invited to a special Saturday call. “Some had an excuse — like just coming back from travel. But those who didn’t were fired,” Armstrong explained bluntly. He admitted the approach felt harsh and unpopular to some, but insisted it sent a clear message: Coinbase must fully embrace AI.

Coinbase Today: One-Third of Code Written by AI Armstrong disclosed that AI now generates about 33% of Coinbase’s code. The company’s goal is to raise this share to 50% by the end of the quarter. Coinbase also runs “AI speed-runs” — monthly sessions where engineers demonstrate how they use AI, with the best-performing teams highlighted as examples for others.

AI Isn’t All-Powerful Although Armstrong believes in the “unimaginable” potential of AI, he emphasized that certain areas remain under strict human oversight. “You can’t let AI free-code systems that move money. There always has to be code review and human checks,” he warned.

👉 For Coinbase, AI isn’t just an experiment — it’s a core driver of its future. Armstrong’s uncompromising approach makes it clear: those unwilling to work with AI have no place at Coinbase.

#coinbase , #AI , #brianarmstrong , #CryptoNews , #INNOVATION

Stay one step ahead – follow our profile and stay informed about everything important in the world of cryptocurrencies! Notice: ,,The information and views presented in this article are intended solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as investment advice in any situation. The content of these pages should not be regarded as financial, investment, or any other form of advice. We caution that investing in cryptocurrencies can be risky and may lead to financial losses.“