Ideas are cheap, execution is cheaper

4 months ago

Ideas were once considered cheap, with execution being the valuable part, but LLMs have changed this dynamic.
The author built three fully functional projects over a holiday break using AI, highlighting how execution has become trivial with tools like Claude Code.
Stack Overflow's declining question count indicates a shift in how developers seek and share knowledge, with AI reducing the need for human interaction.
The rapid replication of ideas is now possible, with the time between idea conception and execution shrinking dramatically.
The author expresses mixed feelings: longing for the craft of traditional software development, excitement about focusing on problem-solving rather than coding, and dizziness at the rapid industry changes.
Key differentiators now include speed of iteration, taste in what to build, distribution, and problem selection, as execution is no longer a bottleneck.
The future of software engineering will favor those who can identify the right problems, reach the right audience, and iterate quickly, rather than those who write the best code.

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