LLM essentially raises the bar for being technical. Currently,
relatively
beginner-level technologies like full-stack programming
could be done by LLMs
quite well. These technologies are also easier
to understand.
So the question becomes: is it worthwhile to understand deep hardware
technologies like CUDA? Jensen Huang previously shared that future
opportunities come from cross-layer thinking. Understanding different
stacks of
technology is becoming increasingly important. Essentially,
the most productive
programmer now needs to understand not only the
backend and algorithms but
also hardware.
Why is that? Is it actually worth the time to dig deep into the
technology stack?
Over the long term, I believe the answer is yes,
especially with the rise of open-
source contributions and frontier
labs (Deepseek) sharing the most advanced
technologies and techniques. The
problem is that much of this knowledge is so
cutting-edge that an
ordinary full-stack programmer might not fully grasp it.
The issue here is that without understanding these advanced
technologies, one
cannot fully leverage them in the long run. Imagine
a future where the most
frontier technology is openly shared—the key
question then becomes whether
one is technically savvy enough to
understand and apply it to build the best
products.
Therefore, understanding cross-layer technology is more important than
ever.
Most technological innovations happen deeper in the stack.
Zhang Yiming once
said: "Often, to judge a technology firm, it's
sufficient to look at how deep the
stack goes." Typically, this depth
enables a firm to build a long-term moat and
develop better products.