Code Is Now the Cheapest Thing in Software — Value Has Shifted to Specs and Tests
prasanna_says · x · 2026-10-20
A podcast clip argues that since AI can rewrite your service in an afternoon, code is no longer the asset — yet most teams haven't figured out where the value moved. It raises three hard questions:
- Where do juniors learn the craft? Engineers used to build skills writing boring code; AI now writes it, so teams must deliberately rebuild practice or their 2030 seniors will never have had the reps.
- What in your repo is worth protecting? When code is regenerable, the real assets are specs, tests, and the reasoning behind decisions — most teams have plenty of code but little of the why written down.
- Can you explain your taste? Senior engineers recognize good design on sight; if they can't articulate it, AI can't execute it either.
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