The bottleneck was never the code

2 days ago

The author tested structured-generation algorithms and open-source counterparts by replacing simple acceptance checks with token distribution analysis.
Coding agents are transforming coding productivity but may not speed up the software industry as a whole due to collaboration bottlenecks.
Impactful software requires collaboration among many humans, with coding agents shifting focus from coding to negotiating specifications.
The real bottleneck in teams using agents is creating precise specifications, moving the constraint from engineers to management.
Cheaper code leads to more features being built (Jevons Paradox), but user absorption rates remain constant, requiring focus and saying no.
Shared context, often unwritten and gained through osmosis, is critical for teams but difficult for agents to acquire without explicit documentation.
Agents are excellent at reading extensive documentation to extract implicit knowledge, potentially externalizing human context into a consumable form.
A loop of agents producing and consuming context could create a written organizational substrate, though it may only capture part of the implicit knowledge.
The next competitive advantage will be organizational coherence and culture, not just technical superiority, as agents amplify existing organizational traits.
Agents are a significant multiplier on organizational coherence, benefiting well-aligned teams and exacerbating issues in poorly coordinated ones.

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