The Building Block Economy

This article by Mitchell Hashimoto discusses the shift in software development from building high-quality mainline applications to creating 'building blocks' that enable others to assemble software quickly using AI. Using examples like Ghostty, libghostty, Next.js, and Tailwind, the author explains that AI excels at gluing together well-documented components, lowering barriers to entry and increasing software output. While acknowledging negatives like security vulnerabilities and instability, the article highlights positives such as a lower quality bar and massive adoption. It offers a tech-focused perspective on modern software engineering trends and product development.