Code Is Cheap Now, and That Changes Everything (perevillega.com) AI

The article argues that AI coding tools have sharply reduced the cost of producing software, changing long-standing assumptions in planning, estimation, and prioritization. It uses examples like Paul Ford’s low-cost weekend projects to illustrate how tasks that once required small teams can now be done cheaply, while warning that “good code” still depends on verification, testing, and developer judgment. The core message is a mindset and process shift: focus on defining reliable systems with clear contracts, invariants, and observability, rather than optimizing for raw code generation speed.