Srinivas Narayanan: The OpenAI Leader Who Believes AI Will Turn Coders into CEOs
OpenAI's Srinivas Narayanan says AI will shift coders into CEO roles, urging engineers to think big and lead with strategy in an AI-first future.
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Srinivas Narayanan, Vice President of Engineering at OpenAI, is making waves with a bold prediction: Artificial Intelligence will transform software engineers into business visionaries. Speaking at Sangam 2025, the innovation summit hosted by the IIT Madras Alumni Association, Narayanan emphasized that the future of engineering lies far beyond coding—it’s about thinking like a CEO.
From Coders to Strategists
Narayanan, who played a key role in the development of advanced tools like Codex, a cloud-based autonomous programming agent, explained that AI is evolving quickly, and with it, the expectations from engineers.
“AI systems are moving far beyond simply answering questions. Engineers will focus on the what and why, while AI takes care of the how,” he stated.
He believes this shift will allow individuals to take a step back from execution and instead lead with strategy and vision—an approach once reserved for founders and top executives.
AI as an Empowerment Tool
The OpenAI executive clarified that this isn’t just about automation—it’s about empowerment. By offloading repetitive or complex programming tasks to AI systems, teams can focus on solving bigger problems.
“Just the ability to think bigger is going to be incredibly empowering,” Narayanan said. “An organisation should be able to do a lot more with the people we already have.”
He suggested that the age of bloated teams could soon give way to leaner, AI-augmented groups capable of exponential output.
Real-World Impact
Narayanan also pointed to real-world use cases where AI is making a difference beyond software. From identifying rare genetic disorders to aiding in complex medical diagnoses, he sees AI as a force that’s amplifying human potential across industries.
“These technologies are delivering life-changing results at a speed and accuracy that was unthinkable even a few years ago,” he noted.
Responsible AI Development
Despite his optimism, Narayanan acknowledged the immense responsibility that comes with building such transformative tools.
“We don’t get everything perfect on the first try, but we learn and iterate rapidly,” he said, underlining OpenAI’s commitment to trust, transparency, and responsible innovation.
As AI continues to reshape industries, Narayanan’s vision suggests a future where coders won’t just write software—they’ll lead companies, drive innovation, and redefine what it means to build.
