AI Didn't Make Software Development Cheap, It Made Bad Ideas Cheap
Warm-Reaction-456 · reddit · 2026-07-21
The author reflects on the current state of AI-assisted development, noting a friend shipped 4 AI-built products rapidly, only to secure 3 paying customers in total.
The core argument is that historically high development costs (months of time or thousands of dollars) acted as a natural filter, forcing creators to validate ideas first. AI removed the cost of building software, but it quietly eliminated the crucial step of validation. Consequently, bad ideas that would have stayed in a notebook are easily turned into half-baked products that merely "look like software." The author emphasizes that the real challenge remains long-term maintenance, late-night bug fixes, refund emails, and data responsibility—tasks AI cannot shoulder for you.
Related event: AI Lowers Development Barriers but Raises Software Quality Concerns(3 posts)→
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