Writing code is cheap now (simonwillison.net)

Article summary

The article discusses how the cost of writing code has decreased significantly with the advent of agentic engineering and coding agents, but delivering good code remains expensive. Good code is defined as code that works, is well-tested, and is maintainable. The author argues that new habits and practices are needed to take advantage of the opportunities provided by agentic engineering. The challenge is to develop new personal and organizational habits that respond to the affordances and opportunities of agentic engineering.

Main themes

• Agentic Engineering
• Code Quality
• Coding Agents
• Software Development
• Maintenance Costs
• Industry Trends

What commenters say

• The decreasing cost of writing code will lead to a shift in the job market, with a potential decrease in demand for certain types of engineers.
• The use of coding agents will not replace the need for human engineers, but rather change the nature of their work to focus on higher-level tasks.
• The quality of code produced by coding agents is not yet reliable enough to be used in production without significant human review and oversight.
• The increasing use of coding agents will lead to a decrease in the cost of maintaining code, as AI tools can help with tasks such as testing and debugging.
• The focus on speed and cost savings in software development will come at the expense of code quality, leading to more bugs and maintenance issues in the long run.
• The development of new systems and practices is needed to keep up with the increased speed of code production made possible by agentic engineering.
• The use of coding agents will lead to a change in the way software is developed, with a potential shift away from traditional GUI apps and towards more agent-based interfaces.
• The cost of owning and maintaining code is becoming more expensive, despite the decreasing cost of writing it, due to the increasing burden of review and maintenance.