Coinbase CEO fires engineers who resisted AI tools

Brian Armstrong, CEO of US-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, recently revealed that he fired software engineers who refused to adopt AI tools following a company-wide mandate.

Speaking on a podcast hosted by financial advising company Stripe this week, Armstrong said he had ordered all engineers to begin using AI coding platforms such as Cursor and Copilot by the end of the workweek earlier this year. Employees who did not meet the deadline were told to attend a Saturday meeting with him to explain why.

"I jumped on this call on Saturday, and there were a couple of people who had not done it," Armstrong said in the podcast. "Some of them had a good reason, because they were just getting back from some trip or something, and some of them didn't, and they got fired."

The directive is part of Coinbase's wider push to integrate AI across its operations. Armstrong said 33% of the company's new code is currently generated with AI, with a target of 50% by the end of September. He acknowledged limits to AI use in sensitive areas such as financial systems, but described his approach as "heavy-handed" but necessary to make clear the company's priorities. Armstrong added that design teams and executives are also expanding their use of AI tools within the firm.

Coinbase, currently valued at around $77 billion, employs around 4,200 people according to its official website. However, following the recent announcement, the company has not disclosed exactly how many employees were dismissed.