Code.org President Steps Down Citing 'Upending' of CS By AI
(Saturday February 21, 2026 @05:43PM (EditorDavid)
from the final-hour-of-code dept.)
- Reference: 0180839720
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/02/21/1932253/codeorg-president-steps-down-citing-upending-of-cs-by-ai
- Source link:
Long-time Slashdot reader [1]theodp writes:
> Last July, as Microsoft pledged $4 billion to advance AI education in K-12 schools, Microsoft President Brad Smith told nonprofit Code.org CEO/Founder Hadi Partovi it was time to [2]"switch hats" from coding to AI . He added that "the last 12 years have been about the Hour of Code, but the future involves the Hour of AI." On Friday, Code.org announced leadership changes to make it so.
>
> "I am thrilled to announce that [3]Karim Meghji will be stepping into the role of President & CEO," Partovi [4]wrote on LinkedIn . "Having worked closely with Karim over the last 3.5 years as our CPO, I have complete confidence that he possesses the perfect balance of historical context and 'founder-level' energy to lead us into an AI-centric future."
>
> In a separate LinkedIn post, Code.org co-founder Cameron Wilson [5]explained why he was transitioning to an executive advisor role . "Our community is entering a new chapter as AI changes and upends computer science as a discipline and society at large. Code.org's mission is still the same, however, we are starting a new chapter focused on ensuring students can thrive in the Age of AI. This new chapter will bring new opportunities, new problems to solve, and new communities to engage."
>
> The Code.org leadership changes come just weeks after Code.org confirmed [6]laid off about 14% of its staff , explaining it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term [7]sustainability ." January also saw Code.org Chief Academic Officer Pat Yongpradit [8]jump to Microsoft where he now helps "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
[1] https://www.slashdot.org/~theodp
[2] https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/08/10/0110212/hour-of-code-announces-its-now-evolving-into-hour-of-ai
[3] https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-code-org-has-a-new-leader-synapse-vet-joins-amazon-ex-tableau-ceo-lands-at-code-metal/
[4] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hadip_today-i-want-to-share-a-significant-update-activity-7430708404874035201-b5mq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cameronpwilson_free-k12-curriculum-for-computer-science-activity-7430702671965364224-VELQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
[6] https://www.geekwire.com/2026/code-org-lays-off-18-employees-to-ensure-long-term-sustainability-at-education-nonprofit/
[7] https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460858543
[8] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patyongpradit_today-i-begin-a-new-chapter-as-general-manager-activity-7416519758784925697-MTro?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
> Last July, as Microsoft pledged $4 billion to advance AI education in K-12 schools, Microsoft President Brad Smith told nonprofit Code.org CEO/Founder Hadi Partovi it was time to [2]"switch hats" from coding to AI . He added that "the last 12 years have been about the Hour of Code, but the future involves the Hour of AI." On Friday, Code.org announced leadership changes to make it so.
>
> "I am thrilled to announce that [3]Karim Meghji will be stepping into the role of President & CEO," Partovi [4]wrote on LinkedIn . "Having worked closely with Karim over the last 3.5 years as our CPO, I have complete confidence that he possesses the perfect balance of historical context and 'founder-level' energy to lead us into an AI-centric future."
>
> In a separate LinkedIn post, Code.org co-founder Cameron Wilson [5]explained why he was transitioning to an executive advisor role . "Our community is entering a new chapter as AI changes and upends computer science as a discipline and society at large. Code.org's mission is still the same, however, we are starting a new chapter focused on ensuring students can thrive in the Age of AI. This new chapter will bring new opportunities, new problems to solve, and new communities to engage."
>
> The Code.org leadership changes come just weeks after Code.org confirmed [6]laid off about 14% of its staff , explaining it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term [7]sustainability ." January also saw Code.org Chief Academic Officer Pat Yongpradit [8]jump to Microsoft where he now helps "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team.
[1] https://www.slashdot.org/~theodp
[2] https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/08/10/0110212/hour-of-code-announces-its-now-evolving-into-hour-of-ai
[3] https://www.geekwire.com/2026/tech-moves-code-org-has-a-new-leader-synapse-vet-joins-amazon-ex-tableau-ceo-lands-at-code-metal/
[4] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hadip_today-i-want-to-share-a-significant-update-activity-7430708404874035201-b5mq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cameronpwilson_free-k12-curriculum-for-computer-science-activity-7430702671965364224-VELQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
[6] https://www.geekwire.com/2026/code-org-lays-off-18-employees-to-ensure-long-term-sustainability-at-education-nonprofit/
[7] https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/460858543
[8] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/patyongpradit_today-i-begin-a-new-chapter-as-general-manager-activity-7416519758784925697-MTro?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAGwTkoBuTtZDbOMlfA66NPuU0-i_GXhd2s
What nonsense (Score:2)
by gweihir ( 88907 )
CS is not affected at all. IT little affected, at best. Coding may be affected a bit more, but not nearly as much as generally claimed. The only coders that will see their jobs vanish are the crappy ones. But crappy code is all "AI" can do at this time and for the foreseeable future.
Re: What nonsense (Score:2)
by firecode ( 119868 )
I tried to use AI to extend my parallel C++ t-SNE algorithm to have barnes-hut approximation to have more linear scaling when the number of data points is large. The code had bugs and didnâ€(TM)t always give correct results => AI is waste of time.
GOOD. (Score:5, Informative)
by Gravis Zero ( 934156 )
Hopefully, this will make all the "everyone needs to learn to code" bullshit go away. Sure, it'll be replaced with AI but when the AI bubble pops then we'll be right back where we started.
This is a fundamental problem with education (Score:5, Interesting)
It's almost like Code.org is and always was just a shill for industry messaging.
I worked in K-12 education for a long time. And one of the things that genuinely shocked me is how much curriculum is in fact just sponsored by giant corporations.
Seriously, virtually any time you see someone advocating in K-12 education for something like "skills students will need for jobs" just look, and you don't have to look very hard, at who's funding it. It's disappointing every time.
Re:This is a fundamental problem with education (Score:4, Insightful)
> I worked in K-12 education for a long time. And one of the things that genuinely shocked me is how much curriculum is in fact just sponsored by giant corporations.
The especially concerning/scary thing this time is that what the giant corporations want is to make computing seem like "magic." Make a wish into the wishing well that is AI, and what you will receive will be what you wished for ... provided, of course, you keep paying the corporation for the privilege of having your wishes granted.
Never mind having the actual skill, talent, understanding, etc. to make your wishes come true yourself. Just pay, wish, and it will be yours ... and never mind anyone who tells you it used to be possible to get what you want to achieve without paying a giant corporation. Just keep wishing, lean how to wish big, and your wishes will come true.
This seems like the antithesis of how anyone who considers themselves an educator should think.
And the really sad part is they're not just saying this to CS students. They're saying it to writers and journalists, artists, musicians ... basically anyone whose job doesn't involve a hammer, a shovel, or a stove.