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Has the cost of building software dropped 90%?

(martinalderson.com)
413 points martinald | 3 comments | 08 Dec 25 19:00 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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more_corn ◴[08 Dec 25 19:56 UTC] No.46196810[source]▶
Ask someone who builds software for a fee. Are you able to do 90% more? Fire 9/10 engineers? Produce 90% faster?

No, no, and no.

replies(2): >>46196842 #>>46197037 #
bdangubic ◴[08 Dec 25 20:13 UTC] No.46197037[source]▶
90% more - nope. 35-55% more, just about on average. I am 30-year in though, not sure what these numbers are for junior devs
replies(2): >>46197124 #>>46197507 #
1. nottorp ◴[08 Dec 25 20:51 UTC] No.46197507[source]▶
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/07/study-finds-ai-tools-made...

They thought they were faster too.

Yes, I know, AGI is just around the corner, we just need to wait more because "agents" are improving every day.

In the mean time, LLMs are kinda useful instead of web searches, mostly because search is both full of spam and the search providers are toxic.

replies(2): >>46197787 #>>46200627 #
2. bdangubic ◴[08 Dec 25 21:20 UTC] No.46197787[source]▶
I am just talking about personal point-of-view, wasn’t interviewed by Arstechnica or others that live off clickbait
3. bdangubic ◴[09 Dec 25 02:36 UTC] No.46200627[source]▶
additional reading list

  - IntuitionLabs, “AI’s Impact on Graduate Jobs: A 2025 Data Analysis” (2025) -
https://intuitionlabs.ai/pdfs/ai-s-impact-on-graduate-jobs-a...

  - Demirci, O., Hannane, J., & Zhu, X., “Who Is AI Replacing? The Impact of Generative AI on Online Freelancing Platforms,” Management Science (2024) - https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.2024.05420%20PubsOnline

  - Indeed Hiring Lab, “AI at Work Report 2025: How GenAI is Rewiring the DNA of Jobs” (September 2025) - https://www.hiringlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Indeed-Hiring-Lab-AI-at-Work-Report-2025.pdf%20Indeed%20Hiring%20Lab