Mori Liu graduated with a CS degree but chose product management and creative projects over software engineering. They argue that easy coding tools have widened the gap between casual builders and serious engineers, and that AI is now diminishing the value of pure technical skill. Instead, they're focused on using code for artistic expression and combining knowledge with lived experience to make unique work.
One year ago, I graduated from college with a degree in computer science and decided to not become a software engineer, which might have been the best decision I've ever made, and here's why. Although vibecoding is letting almost anyone to build apps, the gap in true engineering actually widened. The ask is no longer solving LeetCode mediums, rather system design, infrastructure, and even training models. And to excel at it, you have to really care about the craft. But knowing myself, although I majored CS during college, I was far from the best engineer. I wasn't obsessed with driving down latency by 100 milliseconds, rewriting the algorithm to reduce the runtime from O to O . What I cared more that was creating, from products to the stories around it. So I started my career in product management to build alongside engineers, but also to shape how technology gets perceived and distributed. But something was missing. I wasn't fully satisfied with building products mainly motivated by revenue, KPI, or maximizing shareholder value. And I also missed inserting my own opinion, point of view, and even personality into whatever I built. That's what brought me back to creating these side projects that I've shared with you guys and even hosting my own workshop on vibe coding and design. Doing so strengthened my belief that coding has application beyond hardcore engineering. Creativity, self-expression, and even art. Because when AI diminish the value of a singular skill, how to compound our knowledge and life experience, create something truly unique, becomes a new question to ask.
