Block CTO Challenges Coding Norms: Solving Problems Matters More Than Code Quality

Block’s chief technology officer, Dhanji Prasanna, has challenged the long-held belief in the tech industry that clean, elegant code is essential for building great products. Speaking on an episode of "Lenny's Podcast" published on Sunday, Prasanna argued that code quality is overrated and that solving real user problems is what truly matters. In most engineering circles, well-structured, maintainable code is considered a hallmark of excellence. But Prasanna, who leads technology at the fintech company Block, said that the two are not directly connected. “A lot of engineers think that code quality is important to building a successful product,” he said, “but the two have nothing to do with each other.” He shared a key lesson from his time at Google, where engineers were appalled by the state of YouTube’s codebase after Google acquired the platform in 2006. The code was seen as messy and poorly architected, especially compared to Google’s own internal projects. Yet, YouTube became one of the most successful products in Google’s history, not because of its code, but because it solved a real, widespread problem: how to share and watch videos online. “It really has very little to do with how well it was architected,” Prasanna said. “The real measure of success is whether it actually serves users and solves a problem for people.” He emphasized that engineers should focus on the purpose of what they’re building and the people they’re building for. “Just focus on what we're trying to build and whom we're trying to build for,” he said. “All this code can be thrown away tomorrow.” Prasanna also cautioned against chasing every new technology trend. “Technology is here to serve us,” he said. “If we have an important reason for being and an important purpose, then we can make it that technology serves us.” His perspective comes at a time when the role of coding in the tech world is being reevaluated. While some leaders still champion coding as a fundamental skill, others argue that the rise of AI is changing the game. Google’s head of research, Yossi Matias, has said that “everybody should learn how to code,” and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber has argued that understanding code is essential for evaluating AI-generated outputs. Yet, not everyone agrees. Salesforce’s chief futures officer, Peter Schwartz, told Business Insider in May that empathy and collaboration are now more important than coding skills, especially in the age of AI. As AI systems become better at writing code, some product managers are speculating that the need for human engineers may diminish, with AI handling more of the technical work. During Google’s third-quarter earnings call in 2023, CEO Sundar Pichai revealed that AI was already responsible for generating over a quarter of the company’s new code, underscoring a shift in how software is developed. Prasanna’s message is clear: the focus should not be on perfect code, but on building meaningful solutions that make a real impact.