Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has made one thing clear: artificial intelligence is not optional. Speaking on the Cheeky Pint podcast with Stripe cofounder John Collison, Armstrong revealed that he personally ordered all Coinbase engineers to onboard AI coding assistants GitHub Copilot and Cursor within a week. Those who refused, he admitted, were fired.
“I mandated it,” the 42-year-old said on the . “AI’s important. We need you to all learn it and at least onboard. If not, I’m hosting a meeting on Saturday with everybody who hasn’t done it, and I’d like to meet with you to understand why.”
Why Armstrong “went rogue”
The decision, Armstrong said, came after hearing that engineers might take several quarters to adopt the tools. Instead, he bypassed standard timelines, posting directly in Slack to set a one-week deadline. By Saturday, those without a convincing excuse were let go. “Some of them had a good reason, because they were just getting back from a trip. Some of them didn’t, and they got fired,” he told the podcast.
Critics have called the move heavy-handed, but Armstrong argued that it underscored the seriousness of AI adoption at Coinbase. “At least it set some clarity that we need to lean into this and learn about it,” he said.
Building an AI-first company
Coinbase has since introduced monthly “AI speedruns,” where employees who excel at using AI share strategies with the rest of the workforce. Armstrong claims about one-third of Coinbase’s code is now written with AI, with a target of 50 percent by the end of the current quarter. He has also encouraged non-engineering teams to embrace AI in product design, data analysis, and decision-making.
“Even as CEO, I use it a lot,” Armstrong noted, adding that AI is even included as a “participant” in Coinbase’s internal decision-making framework.
A growing trend in Silicon Valley
According to Fortune, Armstrong is hardly alone. Tech leaders at Microsoft, Google, and Shopify have all pushed staff to embrace AI, while Amazon’s Andy Jassy has openly warned that the technology could shrink workforces. Still, Armstrong’s decision to fire employees over non-compliance stands out for its bluntness.
The Coinbase chief insists his approach is about survival in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. To him, AI is not a distant experiment but a present-day necessity. By “going rogue,” he has set a tone that could ripple through Silicon Valley: in the age of AI, hesitation may cost not just productivity but also jobs.
“I mandated it,” the 42-year-old said on the . “AI’s important. We need you to all learn it and at least onboard. If not, I’m hosting a meeting on Saturday with everybody who hasn’t done it, and I’d like to meet with you to understand why.”
Why Armstrong “went rogue”
The decision, Armstrong said, came after hearing that engineers might take several quarters to adopt the tools. Instead, he bypassed standard timelines, posting directly in Slack to set a one-week deadline. By Saturday, those without a convincing excuse were let go. “Some of them had a good reason, because they were just getting back from a trip. Some of them didn’t, and they got fired,” he told the podcast.
Critics have called the move heavy-handed, but Armstrong argued that it underscored the seriousness of AI adoption at Coinbase. “At least it set some clarity that we need to lean into this and learn about it,” he said.
Building an AI-first company
Coinbase has since introduced monthly “AI speedruns,” where employees who excel at using AI share strategies with the rest of the workforce. Armstrong claims about one-third of Coinbase’s code is now written with AI, with a target of 50 percent by the end of the current quarter. He has also encouraged non-engineering teams to embrace AI in product design, data analysis, and decision-making.
“Even as CEO, I use it a lot,” Armstrong noted, adding that AI is even included as a “participant” in Coinbase’s internal decision-making framework.
A growing trend in Silicon Valley
According to Fortune, Armstrong is hardly alone. Tech leaders at Microsoft, Google, and Shopify have all pushed staff to embrace AI, while Amazon’s Andy Jassy has openly warned that the technology could shrink workforces. Still, Armstrong’s decision to fire employees over non-compliance stands out for its bluntness.
The Coinbase chief insists his approach is about survival in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. To him, AI is not a distant experiment but a present-day necessity. By “going rogue,” he has set a tone that could ripple through Silicon Valley: in the age of AI, hesitation may cost not just productivity but also jobs.
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