According to Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy), a recent poll found that nearly half of professional programmers now use 'agent mode', where large language models (LLMs) like Claude and Codex generate substantial portions of code based on text prompts, rather than relying primarily on traditional tab completion or manual writing. Karpathy noted that he expected a different split—around 50% tab completion, 30% manual, and only 20% agent mode—but the poll indicates a much greater adoption of AI-driven coding agents for professional work (source: x.com/karpathy/status/1973892769359056997). Karpathy highlights practical uses: agent mode excels at writing boilerplate code or tackling unfamiliar libraries, but struggles with complex or nuanced tasks, often resulting in buggy or bloated code. The data suggests significant business opportunities for companies developing LLM-based coding agents, especially for routine tasks, while also underscoring the need for robust code review processes and further model improvements. This trend reflects a rapidly evolving AI-driven software development landscape and signals growing demand for advanced, reliable coding AI tools.