The advent of agent-based artificial intelligence is fundamentally altering the role of senior engineers, according to Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko, who shared his experience amid robust financial reporting for his blockchain platform and ongoing controversy over its open architecture.
Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco, Yakovenko described how models like Claude allow him to take a secondary development role. He stated that after more than 15 years in software development, AI has become “a great force multiplier for someone who is an expert.”
Yakovenko elaborated that he now relies on AI agents to execute tasks that previously required his direct involvement. He monitors the AI’s progress, noting, “Now I can just watch Claude doing it and I can almost smell when it’s going wrong.”
He playfully added that if he appears distracted in meetings, it is often because he is “watching Claude.” This highlights the AI’s ability to handle parallel tasks, augmenting rather than replacing human responsibility.
Agent-based coding integrates AI into the software development cycle, automating code generation, testing, and basic integrations. This allows experienced engineers to delegate repetitive tasks and concentrate on architectural design and critical decisions.
Yakovenko’s insights into AI’s impact coincided with a period of significant economic growth for the Solana ecosystem.
The platform reported $2.85 billion in annual revenue in early October 2025, largely driven by cryptocurrency exchange activity. This financial strength, Yakovenko noted, signals market acceptance.
Further underscoring institutional interest, the first Solana Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), launched by asset manager Bitwise, debuted the day before his address. It attracted nearly $70 million in investments on its first day.
Yakovenko suggested financial professionals quickly grasp cryptocurrency’s technical and operational properties. He explained that those who manage liquidation and banking risks “understand cryptocurrency much, much faster.”
Despite these successes, Solana has faced public criticism, particularly concerning certain tokens hosted on its network.
One specific controversy involved “Trumpcoin,” a token on Solana that reportedly directed approximately $350 million to the president. Critics have equated this to a form of bribery.
Yakovenko defended the protocol’s open nature, stating Solana does not control or censor projects deployed on its infrastructure. He offered an analogy: “I could send you an email with a link to Trumpcoin or Fartcoin, and both are protocols.”
He emphasized that both email and the underlying protocol creating a market are open systems. This argument shifts responsibility to the token issuers and markets, rather than the blockchain’s foundational layer.