Formal methods and the future of programming
Summary
An article by Yaron Minsky from Jane Street announcing a shift in stance toward formal methods. It argues that agentic coding and improved modeling reduce the costs of formal methods and help address verification bottlenecks, suggesting formal methods could become a pervasive tool in software development. The piece outlines reasons for the change, language/tooling opportunities, and the practical path Jane Street plans to pursue, including building a dedicated formal methods team.