♟️ The Metagame #029: Coding in the Age of AI

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about the future of coding.

It started because I showed him Cursor—an insanely powerful AI coding assistant.

It essentially lets you have ChatGPT (or any other LLM model) running alongside your code, so you can ask it questions, get instant feedback, and even have it make changes on the fly, directly in your code.

His reaction?

"Why aren’t more people using this?"

Which got me thinking—not just about AI coding tools, but about the history of technology itself.

And more importantly, where we’re headed next.

Here’s what’s in store for today:

• My nerdy side project

• Utilizing AI

• How to build something you’re proud of

Read time: 4 minutes

Quick heads-up: Want to learn how to code in the age of AI?

I’d love to hop on a call with you. Free of charge.

Tell me why you’re interested in coding, what you want to build, the whole shebang. I’ll help you figure out a path forward.

AI is moving at a breakneck speed. You might as well build something you’re proud of and enjoy the ride.

Book a call with me today.

A nerdy side project.

Now, if you couldn’t already tell—I’m a massive nerd.

And one of my (many) nerdy hobbies? Hosting Minecraft servers for my friends.

It’s a fun way to practice my data engineering and cloud skills while still playing the video games I love.

But here’s the problem:

Hosting servers is expensive.

Leaving them on 24/7 racks up charges—even when no one is playing.

So, I usually turn them off when no one’s online… which means anytime someone wants to play, I have to restart the server for them manually.

Very tedious.

So I built a solution: a self-serve dashboard where my friends can turn the servers on themselves (if they have permission, of course).

• If no one is online after a certain period, the servers shut down automatically.

• No wasted money. No manual restarts.

It’s not complex, but before AI? A project like this would’ve taken me days, if not weeks.

Instead, I built it in under an hour using Cursor.

This is what it looks like:

And this brings me to today’s main point…

Why aren’t more people using AI?

It’s like they want to be left behind.

It’s like they want to restrict themselves.

And for what?

Because it’s new? Because it feels unfamiliar? Because it forces you to rethink how you work?

I get it.

Adopting new technology isn't easy. Change never is.

But do you know what’s worse?

Becoming obsolete.

This has happened before. Over and over.

• When the internet first became mainstream, businesses that dismissed it as a "fad" vanished.

• When smartphones revolutionized computing, people who refused to adapt got stuck in an outdated world.

• When social media exploded, companies that didn’t leverage it lost their audiences overnight.

And now? AI is that next wave.

We’re at the tipping point (if we haven’t already crossed it), and you’ll either:

A) Learn how to use AI and integrate it into your workflow,

or

B) Watch those who do leave you in the dust.

This isn’t fear-mongering. It’s reality.

No more excuses.

If you’ve been ignoring AI—whether because you think it’s “cheating” or because you don’t want to learn something new—you’re voluntarily putting yourself at a disadvantage.

It’s like refusing to use Google in 2005.

Or ignoring electricity in the 1800s.

Or insisting on using a horse and carriage while cars zoom by.

The difference? AI adoption is happening way faster than any of those past innovations.

And here’s the thing: No one is coming to "force" you to learn AI (yet).

But at some point, whether it’s six months or six years from now, you’ll look around and realize you’re the only one who hasn’t adapted.

And then? It’s not a choice anymore. It’s just survival.

This is your moment to get ahead.

The best part? AI doesn’t replace you. It amplifies you.

Using AI doesn’t make you “less of a coder.” It makes you a 10x coder.

Using AI doesn’t mean you aren’t creative. It means you have more time to be creative.

This isn’t about technology taking over. It’s about leveraging it so you can do more, build more, and stay competitive in a world that isn’t slowing down.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to code, now’s your chance.

And again—I’ll help you.

Schedule a free call with me, and I’ll show you all the secrets of AI.

Quote of the week

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions, hit me up on LinkedIn or on 𝕏 at @sam_starkman, or feel free to reply to this email!

— Sam