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Has the cost of building software dropped 90%?

(martinalderson.com)
413 points martinald | 4 comments | 08 Dec 25 19:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.882s | source
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BigHatLogan ◴[08 Dec 25 19:58 UTC] No.46196834[source]▶
Good write-up. I don't disagree with any of his points, but does anybody here have practical suggestions on how to move forward and think about one's career? I've been a frontend (with a little full stack) for a few years now, and much of the modern landscape concerns me, specifically with how I should be positioning myself.

I hear vague suggestions like "get better at the business domain" and other things like that. I'm not discounting any of that, but what does this actually mean or look like in your day-to-day life? I'm working at a mid-sized company right now. I use Cursor and some other tools, but I can't help but wonder if I'm still falling behind or doing something wrong.

Does anybody have any thoughts or suggestions on this? The landscape and horizon just seems so foggy to me right now.

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1. colonCapitalDee ◴[08 Dec 25 20:12 UTC] No.46197019[source]▶
Blind leading the blind, but my thinking is this:

1. Use the tools to their fullest extend, push boundaries and figure out what works and what doesn't

2. Be more than your tools

As long as you + LLM is significantly more valuable than just an LLM, you'll be employed. I don't know how "practical" this advice is, because it's basically what you're already doing, but it's how I'm thinking about it.

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2. ares623 ◴[08 Dec 25 21:53 UTC] No.46198175[source]▶
Realistically, someone else + LLM at -10% compensation will be employed
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3. ubercow13 ◴[08 Dec 25 22:20 UTC] No.46198422[source]▶
Then why wasn't someone else employed at -10% compensation instead of you before LLMs?
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4. bitwize ◴[08 Dec 25 22:41 UTC] No.46198644{3}[source]▶
Let's say LLMs add 50 "skill points" to your output. Developer A is at 60 skill points in terms of coding ability, developer B is at 40. The differential between them looks large. Now add LLMs. Developer A is at 110 skill points, developer B is at 90. Same difference, but now it doesn't look as large.

The (perceived, alleged) augmentation by LLMs makes individual differences in developer skill seem less important. From the business's perspective, you are not getting much less by hiring a less skilled developer vs. hiring a more skilled one, even if both of them would be using LLMs on the job.

Obviously, real life is more complicated than this, but that's a rough idea of what the CEO and the shareholders are grappling with from a talent acquisition standpoint.