If software is no longer scarce, what makes it valuable?
forevergeeks · reddit · 2026-09-24
Drawing on the scarcity of precious metals, the author argues AI is upending software economics: coding was a scarce, specialized endeavor, but AI now lets engineers produce 10x more code, making software assembly feel like Lego. He parallels the late-1990s outsourcing wave to India — this time outsourcing the coding itself to AI. Quality, security and maintainability still matter but are becoming a different value proposition. The piece ends on the open question: if software is no longer scarce, what makes it valuable?
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