JetBrains announced a major strategic pivot on Tuesday, introducing a new agentic AI platform called Central while simultaneously retiring its Code With Me collaboration feature. The announcement came via official channels and marks a significant shift in the developer tooling ecosystem as the company prioritizes autonomous software development workflows over human pair programming. This transition reflects the broader industry trend toward managing complex agent-driven tasks rather than focusing solely on code generation.
According to Oleg Koverznev, head of the agentic platform, Central serves as a comprehensive system for governance and cloud infrastructure to run agents. This system is designed to handle token management and usage analytics alongside shared context capabilities across multiple repositories and projects. Early access to the system is scheduled for the second quarter of this year, with updated pricing models for organizations expected soon.
Koverznev stated during the announcement that code generation is no longer the primary bottleneck for development teams. Instead, the challenge lies in managing the growing operational and economic complexity of agent-driven work environments. Koverznev emphasized that operational costs are rising alongside AI capabilities, necessitating a new management layer.
Supporting this shift, JetBrains recently surveyed 11,000 developers to gauge current AI adoption rates within the industry. The survey was conducted by the software vendor prior to the public reveal and provided critical insights into developer habits. The data revealed that 90% of respondents already use AI tools, while 22% actively employ AI coding agents. Furthermore, 66% indicated plans to adopt agents within the next 12 months, signaling rapid market saturation.
Despite the focus on automation, the retirement of Code With Me has drawn mixed reactions from the user base. Ekaterina Ryabukha, the marketing lead, confirmed that version 2026.1 will be the last IDE release to officially support the feature. Users must migrate their workflows before the infrastructure shutdown date to avoid interruption. The functionality will remain available as a separate plugin until the public relay infrastructure is turned off in the first quarter of 2027.
Ryabukha noted that demand for the tool has declined since its peak usage during the global pandemic. She explained that the decision allows the company to focus its engineering efforts on other areas without specifying further reasons. Pricing adjustments for organizations are expected to accompany the new platform launch. The move prioritizes long-term infrastructure investment over maintaining legacy collaboration features that see less frequent use.
Community feedback on the discontinuation has been varied, with some users expressing concern over workflow disruptions. One developer described the tool as vital for their remote pair programming setup, calling the removal devastating for their daily operations. A two-man company team noted they pair-program the entire time. Others noted that while they rarely used the feature, it held high value for onboarding new staff or working with students.
The strategic pivot places JetBrains in a competitive position against numerous providers offering agent orchestration services. Competition is intensifying from both large tech firms and smaller specialized startups. The company faces the risk of alienating core customers who rely on its traditional IDEs for languages such as Java, Python, C#, and Rust. Balancing AI integration with stability remains a critical challenge for the vendor.
Some industry observers questioned why the company would remove features when AI agents theoretically could maintain them. Critics argue that AI should maintain tooling if it writes the code. The situation highlights the tension between reducing technical debt and focusing resources on next-generation capabilities. It remains uncertain how the industry will adapt to a model where AI manages the tools themselves.
Looking ahead, the introduction of Central represents the next phase in JetBrains evolution toward autonomous development. The second quarter of 2026 will determine the immediate adoption trajectory for the platform. Stakeholders will monitor pricing changes and early access performance to assess the viability of the new system. The success of this transition will define whether the company can lead the shift to agentic software engineering.
