The real threat isn’t the model. It’s the people who think they’re above using one. A dialogue is currently unfolding among engineering groups. It appears over beverages, in work chats that become unusually personal for a midweek, and in discussions that begin with schedule alignment but wander elsewhere. A programmer, typically competent, usually with some tenure, mentions, almost casually, that they seldom utilize automated tools in their daily tasks. No Copilot. No Claude. Perhaps they piloted ChatGPT once, saw an incorrect result, closed the display, and never returned. At times, this is stated simply. Occasionally, there is a hint of pride within it, as if they remain one of the few performing the assignment in the genuine method. Like everyone else compromised and did not. That sentiment is not foolish. It stems from an authentic place; a conviction that difficulty is where true aptitude resides, that swift routes yield fragile output and fragile coders. It is a defensible stance, genuinely held.…