GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke warned startup founders at VivaTech in Paris that while AI coding assistants can help launch companies, scaling them requires human developers and technical expertise. Speaking at Station F startup campus, Dohmke said bootstrapped startups built predominantly with AI coding tools “doesn’t have much value” to investors and would struggle to justify funding rounds without complex systems built by skilled developers.
AI tools lower barriers but can’t replace deep technical knowledge
The Microsoft-owned platform’s CEO explained that non-technical founders increasingly use “vibe coding,” natural language prompts that generate code, to build products with small teams and minimal funding. However, this approach creates a crowded market where investors question why they should choose one AI-built startup over another. “The investors would ask, ‘Why would I invest in you instead of the 10 other people?'” Dohmke said, emphasizing that startups need deeper understanding of their systems to attract serious investment.Dohmke observed a dramatic shift in AI adoption over the past two years, from companies needing convincing to widespread “FOMO” in the market. While AI tools have democratized startup creation, he stressed that successful scaling requires developers who can build sophisticated systems. “A non-technical founder will find it difficult to build a startup at scale without developers because they can’t build a complex system to justify the next round,” he explained.The GitHub CEO, whose platform serves over 150 million users worldwide, acknowledged the excitement around AI-driven engineering but maintained that coding skills remain essential. He previously stated that “every kid, every child, should learn coding” because knowing when to rely on personal coding abilities versus AI assistance is crucial. Dohmke emphasized that software engineers need “willingness to learn” about AI prompts while understanding when not to use them, noting that using prompts for tasks you can already do yourself “is a waste of time.”