Tinyfool: AI makes everyone a product maker — and indie devs' survival harder
tinyfool · x · 2026-08-25
In a long Chinese essay, Tinyfool argues generative AI and coding agents (Codex, Claude Code) are reshaping software. Since last December he built two complex apps (tens of thousands of lines) fully via Codex, no longer writing or even reviewing code — acting as a software designer who only discusses UI/UX and architecture.
He cites non-programmer friends shipping complex apps, including one who used Codex to turn her late cat's photos into a desktop pet. Programming's barrier has never been lower.
But that's the problem: indie devs survived on the "can code" wall; now domain experts from every industry — who understand their users better — become direct competitors, software itself cheapens, and the first-mover window logic is failing.
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