The Primagen: Programming, AI, and Finding Purpose in Life

Michael Pollson, better known online as the Primagen, is a programmer who has inspired millions to have fun building software. In this wide-ranging conversation, he discusses:

Early Programming Experiences

The Primagen recalls his first profound programming experience in college, when learning about linked lists opened his eyes to the infinite possibilities of what could be expressed in code:

"For the first time ever I was like 'Oh my gosh like there's no end. There's no way to iterate. This is not like a set of 10 items. This is a set of infinite items.' And so like my mind kind of like exploded in that moment. Like there's actually you like what you can express is huge."

He also shares memories of struggling with recursion initially, but having an "aha moment" when implementing a maze-solving algorithm:

"I realized in that moment I'm like I actually understand rec I've understood recursion this whole time. I just never had a problem in which it actually made sense to use."

Overcoming Addiction and Finding Faith

The Primagen opens up about his struggles with addiction as a young man, including exposure to pornography at a very early age and later drug use. He describes a pivotal moment at age 19 when he felt a profound spiritual experience that set him on a new path:

"I remember going okay I do I do want to change my life. Like I don't like this experience. I don't like what I'm living. I am still very sad. I still feel very desperate. I still feel all those things. I'm just like pretending to be this other person. And then I just went to sleep that night. Nothing changed in my life. Everything was still the way it was. I woke up the next day the same person. And I was just like 'Oh that's just like such a strange weird kind of experience.' And I just went about my day."

He goes on to explain how this experience gave him a new sense of conscience and motivation to change his life, eventually leading him to overcome his addictions.

Views on AI and the Future of Programming

When asked about AI's impact on programming, the Primagen expresses both excitement and caution:

"I think at some point if we were able to scale if all things continue at the current rate of improvement there does come a point where programming as a hard skill does become unnecessary right there at some eventual point way way down the road yes. I don't know what that point looks like. I don't know when it's going to happen. I don't even attempt to make predictions about that."

However, he emphasizes that for the foreseeable future, human programmers will remain essential:

"There's been no computer improvement up to this date that did not result in more jobs. Absolutely I we should say that I think it depends how you define programming also because um you know when uh the community uh moves from assembly to C from C to I don't know uh Python and JavaScript like that's evolution that's really painful for a lot of people who are used to programming that lower level language."

He advises young programmers to focus on building deep skills and understanding across the full stack, as this will make them more valuable and adaptable as the field evolves.

Finding Purpose Through Faith and Family

The Primagen speaks movingly about how his faith transformed his outlook on life:

"For me it's like I don't think I would have ever lived a life that was happy without this. And I just didn't even know that that was an option for me. And I never really you know it was a very tough set of years for me. And I was very very sad and just always kind of just constantly looking for something to fulfill me. And so it's like I didn't have any confidence I didn't have any joy I was I was I felt very sad. And so that was kind of this moment where for the first time ever I didn't all of a sudden I just felt like I didn't have to live up to a standard right."

He also emphasizes the profound impact of becoming a father:

"You will never know your capacity for love until you have kids. Like you you just don't know... I can break out and sweat thinking about somebody fictionally pushing my kid to the ground like like actually get you know real adrenal responses flowing through my body. So it's just like such a different world and it's hard to explain."

Advice for Aspiring Programmers

The Primagen offers several key pieces of advice for those starting out in programming:

1. Develop a love for the craft and a desire to keep learning
2. Don't sacrifice relationships or health in pursuit of success
3. Be willing to take risks and try new things, but also recognize when you've found a good fit
4. Focus on building deep skills across the full stack
5. Learn to work effectively with AI tools, but don't rely on them exclusively

He concludes with an encouraging message about the continued importance of human programmers:

"I think people need to quit worrying and think about how they can integrate it and try like prove it to themselves. Do they actually make themselves irrelevant. And if you truly make yourself irrelevant I would challenge you that you're already like you're just doing something that was just slightly too complicated to automate."

The conversation covers many other topics, including his experiences at Netflix, thoughts on different programming languages, and reflections on the role of love in the human experience. Throughout, the Primagen's passion for programming and zest for life shine through, offering an inspiring example of finding purpose and joy through one's work and relationships.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNZnLkRBYA8