Development 2.0

I clearly see a new stage emerging in software development. And I think the wrong idea is being promoted around it.

People say developers and development studios are no longer needed because anyone can sit down with ChatGPT and build a product. In theory, yes. But building a product yourself is still extremely demanding intellectual work.

Before, you had to write the code by hand. Now much of it can be done faster. The difference has turned into speed. But development is not only about writing code. It is about the result.

Imagine you need an internal system for your business. First, someone has to understand how the processes actually work. What the owner wants, what employees need, what they do not want, what must be excluded. Then connect email, documents and databases. And make sure everything works correctly after it is connected.

An idea has to become a proper task. “Build me a decent website” does not explain what decent means to you. Which functions matter? What path will the customer follow? What should it look like?

Then come the approvals. Look at the designs, explain what you dislike, try again. Check intermediate results. Click the buttons yourself. Accept the final version.

All of this takes somebody's time. You can do it yourself. You can hire a person or a team. Even when the technical barrier is removed, this work remains.

I develop products every day, and I can see my own limit. Even with AI agents, you cannot endlessly review results, resolve forks and be responsible for every part yourself. Nobody will decide exactly what you want for you. Nobody will accept it exactly as you would.

I think experienced developers become even more valuable. But judging them by the old principles, the amount of code written or knowledge of a particular language, makes less and less sense. Understanding the task, designing the solution and bringing it to a working result matter more.

People will build simple things themselves or ask one specialist. More complex tasks will need a team. Time matters here too: what a team delivers in a month may take one person several months.

I think there will be more development. Projects will become more complex, and tasks more interesting and ambitious. AI has removed some technical obstacles. But time, thinking and responsibility for the result are still needed.