One keynote in March 2026 gave a name to the next era of software development. Andrej Karpathy stood on stage at Sequoia’s AI Ascent and described programming via LLM agents. The community now calls it Agentic Engineering.
This page traces who Karpathy is, what he said, and how the term spread from that talk into mainstream engineering practice.
| Timeline | Event | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | Karpathy keynote at AI Ascent | Term “programming via LLM agents” introduced |
| Mid 2026 | Community adoption | Name shortens to “Agentic Engineering” |
| Late 2026 | Enterprise tools align | Claude Code, Codex adopt the framing |
Who is Andrej Karpathy and why does his endorsement matter?
Andrej Karpathy is a prominent AI researcher and educator. He co-founded OpenAI, led AI at Tesla, and now runs Eureka Labs. His previous coinage, “Vibe Coding,” reshaped how developers talk about AI-assisted development.
When Karpathy introduces a new term, the industry listens. His credibility gives “Agentic Engineering” immediate weight. The term moves from a conference talk to a category within months.
Read how Karpathy coined Vibe Coding the year before.
What exactly did Karpathy say at AI Ascent 2026?
Karpathy described a new programming paradigm. He called it “programming via LLM agents.” The core idea: developers stop writing code. They delegate tasks to AI agents. The agents plan steps, call tools, and produce results.
He positioned this as the next evolution beyond Vibe Coding. Vibe Coding was about describing features. Agentic Engineering is about delegating work with structure and oversight. The talk framed it as the professional, production‑ready future.
See a detailed comparison of the two approaches.
How did the term “Agentic Engineering” emerge from the talk?
Karpathy did not use the exact phrase “Agentic Engineering” on stage. He said “programming via LLM agents.” The developer community shortened and reshaped it. The word “agentic” captured the active, autonomous nature of the workflow.
Within weeks, blog posts and tool documentation adopted the new label. Claude Code and OpenAI Codex began referencing agentic workflows. The term stuck because it described a distinct, recognizable practice.
How does this origin connect to Software 3.0?
Karpathy’s AI Ascent talk placed agentic programming inside the Software 3.0 framework. Software 1.0 was manual coding. Software 2.0 was machine learning. Software 3.0 is natural language plus agents plus tools.
Agentic Engineering is the professional practice within Software 3.0. The talk provided both the philosophical framework and the practical term. Together, they define the current frontier of AI‑native development.
Explore the full Software 3.0 framework in detail.
(1) Andrej Karpathy introduced the concept at Sequoia’s AI Ascent in March 2026.
(2) The original phrase was “programming via LLM agents.”
(3) The community shortened it to “Agentic Engineering.”
(4) It sits inside Karpathy’s broader Software 3.0 framework.
(5) It was positioned as the professional successor to Vibe Coding.
References
- Andrej Karpathy, “Programming via LLM Agents” — AI Ascent, Sequoia Capital, March 2026
- Agentic Engineering vs Vibe Coding — Key Differences
- Software 3.0 Explained — Karpathy’s Three‑Era Framework
- What Is Agentic Engineering? Definition & Principles (T2 Hub)
Always refer to the official documentation.
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