AI Makes Code Cheap, But Meaningful Software Engineering Still Demands Human Expertise

Summary

The article argues that while AI coding tools like Claude Code and Claude Opus 4.5 have dramatically lowered the barrier to writing code, the real challenge of building meaningful, impactful software remains as difficult as ever. It describes a shift from traditional SaaS toward personal, disposable software, where the engineer's role evolves from writing code to shaping complex systems. The key insight is that code generation is now cheap and accessible, but true software engineering—understanding requirements, designing architectures, and solving real problems—still requires skilled human judgment.