Fender CEO Edward "Bud" Cole is facing a fresh wave of criticism after a May 2026 interview resurfaced in early August, just as the company struggles with a separate PR crisis over cease-and-desist letters. In the interview with T3, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Telecaster, Cole compared cover songs and bandmates to "analog AI." The comments, initially flying under the radar, are now making rounds online and worsening an already tense relationship with the guitar community.
The timing could hardly be worse. Fender has been sending cease-and-desist letters to builders claiming copyright over the Stratocaster body shape, and some influential guitar YouTubers have said they are done buying Fender gear. Fender did not immediately respond to a request for comment or clarification.
The Interview That Sparked the Storm
The interview was published in May 2026 by T3, with editor-in-chief Mat Gallagher authoring the feature. It was mostly paraphrased, but the direct quotes that did surface are now the center of the controversy. Cole told T3, "I think AI has existed in music as long as there's been recorded music," and went further, saying, "I actually believe cover music has been sort of analog AI for a long time."
Cole, who has led Fender since 2015, explained his own musical journey as a way to illustrate his point. He said, "I listened a lot to REM, U2, The Smiths and The Cure, and at some point I got sick of just listening to them. I wanted to play it, so I learned to play guitar." That personal story, however, did not soften the reaction to his broader claims.
The CEO also described bandmates as a second analogue form of AI, a comparison that has drawn particular ire from working musicians. He said, "I actually think that we are in the brink of freeing up people to move beyond the same old covers and to really get into working like they do with their bands," suggesting that AI could unlock new creative possibilities for guitarists.
A "Woefully Misguided" Take
Terrence O'Brien, Weekend Editor at The Verge, wrote the analysis that has now amplified the controversy. He called Cole's take "woefully misguided" and argued that the CEO either does not understand AI or does not respect artists. O'Brien, who has covered the tech industry for over 18 years, laid out a detailed rebuttal in his piece, published on August 2, 2026, at 7:36 PM UTC.
O'Brien's central argument is that scale matters. No person could learn all the songs used to train a generative AI model. Suno, the generative AI music company, is suspected to have been trained on millions of songs. A human guitarist, by contrast, learns a handful of records deeply, internalizing not just the notes but the feel behind them.
Steve Onotera, the guitar YouTuber known as Samurai Guitarist, made a similar point in the piece. He noted that a player's physicality and tiny errors prevent perfect replication. Those imperfections, Onotera argued, are where serendipity lives. An AI, by design, smooths those edges away.
Bandmates Are Not Chatbots
Cole's comparison of bandmates to AI has also been sharply criticized. O'Brien wrote that bandmates are not like chatbots because they have unique life experiences and taste. A drummer who grew up on jazz brings something different than one raised on punk. A bassist with a background in classical music hears harmony differently. Those differences are not bugs to be fixed; they are the entire point of playing with other people.
Stay ahead of the AI curve
The most important updates, news, and content — delivered weekly.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
The article argues that AI dismisses the inherent humanity of millions of tiny decisions an artist makes. Human artistic decisions are unique, driven by emotion, happy accidents, or compensating for limitations. An AI does not have taste or instincts like a human musician. It can mimic patterns, but it cannot feel why a particular note matters.
O'Brien also pushed back on Cole's claim that AI will help guitarists become master songwriters. Cole said, "I believe that AI is actually going to help create a whole new world of guitar players that use it. To help connect with other musicians, to be more productive. And across the chasm into becoming a student of songwriting to a master of songwriting." O'Brien called that assertion "frankly, ridiculous."
The Deskilling Problem
Evidence is mounting that relying on AI tools leads to deskilling, the article notes. Using AI for rhymes or metaphors is not the same as practicing songwriting. Repetition is key to developing songwriting skills. There is an old adage that you need to write 100 bad songs before writing one good one. Some say 1,000. Others push the number to 10,000. Whatever the exact figure, the point stands: you cannot skip the work.
O'Brien argued that if a guitarist hands the songwriting over to an AI, they never build the muscle memory of crafting a verse, breaking a bridge, or finding a hook. They never learn why a certain chord progression feels triumphant and another feels mournful. They never experience the frustration of a dead end or the joy of a breakthrough. Those experiences are the curriculum.
The article also notes that Cole's own story undermines his argument. He learned guitar because he wanted to play the songs he loved. He did not want a machine to play them for him. He wanted the physical experience of making the music himself. That is the opposite of what AI offers.
A PR Crisis in Full Swing
The resurfaced interview comes at a delicate moment for Fender. The company has been sending cease-and-desist letters to builders over the Stratocaster body shape, claiming copyright protection. That move has angered many in the luthier community, and some influential guitar YouTubers have publicly said they are done buying Fender gear. The Cole interview adds insult to injury for many players who already feel the company is out of touch.
The interview was originally meant to celebrate a milestone. The Telecaster turned 75 in 2026, and the conversation with T3 was part of that celebration. Instead, it has become another chapter in Fender's ongoing struggle to manage its public image. The company has not responded to requests for comment on either the interview or the cease-and-desist letters.
O'Brien's piece is part of The Verge's ongoing coverage of AI in music. Related articles include "Is this Billboard Hot 100 hit AI slop?" published on August 1, 2026, and two pieces from July 31, 2026: "The major labels propose rules to keep AI slop off the charts" and "Suno lost a major copyright suit in Germany." The image accompanying the article shows Cole speaking in Japan in 2023, credited to Jun Sato/WireImage.
The core question remains whether Fender's leadership understands the community it serves. Cole's comments suggest a vision of music where technology replaces the messy, human process of learning and playing. But the backlash suggests many guitarists disagree. They see the physical act of playing, the mistakes, the bandmates, and the years of practice as the very things that make music meaningful. No AI, analog or digital, can replace that.