Lovable CEO Anton Osika says he thinks people should stop seeing computer science degrees as a surefire way to land a career in tech.
"I wouldn't say it's worthless, but I do think the leverage has moved," Osika told Business Insider in an interview on Wednesday.
Osika, 35, said that while getting a computer science degree "isn't useless," its value has shifted. "Curiosity, adaptability, and shipping high-quality products quickly can matter more than credentials," he added.
"For most people, a degree is no longer the entry ticket. You can build, ship, and even start companies without it," Osika said.
"The degree still has value if you want to go deep on systems, theory, or research. There's rigor there that tools won't replace. But the default path — 'I need a CS degree to be relevant in tech' — feels much less true today," he continued.
Osika said that in the past, the bottleneck to building in tech was the "technical know-how," which required "years of training to even get started." But now, people have the tools to "go from idea to working product without ever touching a formal CS education," he said.
Osika cofounded Lovable in 2023. Lovable is a vibe coding platform that allows people with limited programming knowledge to create software using AI.
Osika's startup has 45 employees, per PitchBook, and is hiring for 16 open positions on its careers page as of press time.
In June, Business Insider reported that venture capital firm Accel was set to lead a new funding round in Lovable that would value it at $1.5 billion. Accel was an early investor in Facebook and Slack.
Paul Graham, the founder of startup incubator Y Combinator, said in an X post on August 5 that low-level programming jobs are "already disappearing" thanks to AI. This is because AI is "good at scutwork," Graham said.
"But at the same time the very best programmers (e.g. the ones who are good enough to start their own companies) are being paid exceptional amounts," Graham wrote on X.
"So I think the best general advice for protecting oneself from AI is to do something so well that you're operating way above the level of scutwork," he added.
Osika told Business Insider that when it comes to hiring, he is more interested in a candidate's ability to learn than their current skills.
"I care more about how fast someone learns and adapts than where they are today. If a conversation feels alive, if I walk away having learned something new, that's a strong sign they'll thrive in the team and push our ways of working forward," Osika said.
