As you know, AI-assisted coding is incredible. Unleashing creativity! So many people who can’t code are suddenly productive geniuses! Ten times more productive! It was so productive for each of them personally, honest! No, they don’t have any numbers on that. AI will cause a flourishing of new software! Apparently.

Mike Judge is a software developer. He’s coded for decades. In particular, he’s done a ton of small mobile apps. He also started using AI coding early. He was a fan of it!

Then Mike saw the METR study that showed developers thought AI code completion made them 20% faster, but actually made them 19% slower. He liked that METR put numbers on the question.

So Mike asked: if AI lets any bozo make an app now … where is it all? Where’s the shovelware? Where are the widgets? Where are the crappy little apps that one guy makes at home?

If AI coding is such rocket fuel for development, we should be seeing a flood of little apps being released. And we aren’t. [Substack]

So, numbers time! First, Mike measured his own productivity — he felt like AI made him 25% faster. But he kept track for a few weeks, and it slowed him down 21%.

But what about everyone else? There should be so much software coming out. Mike collected all the numbers he could.

Apple Store app releases have been flat for the past few years. Google Play app releases were flat, then they went down. Steam release rates have gone up steadily since 2023, but there’s no visible surge, from AI or anything else. New GitHub repositories have been flat since 2023.

There’s no surge. There’s no burst from AI or anything else. AI coding is not having any visible effect.

People are getting fired from their jobs for not using AI tools that don’t help. But the whole claim of efficiency from AI coding looks fake.

You’d almost think all the tech layoffs were because the real economy where people live is screwed right now, businesses overhired for the past few years, and no-one’s being adventurous in 2025. AI is not the reason for the layoffs, it’s the excuse.

If AI coding was such rocket fuel, those laid-off developers are the precise people who’d get bored and shove out some quick little apps. But the evidence is that they aren’t.

The standard slop coder excuses don’t work here at all. “It works for me” is great, very happy for you. But those graphs show it’s not working for most people, or we’d see it.

Prompting better isn’t the answer or it’d be working already.

Some claim AI coding is super effective, but not in public spaces. You can’t prove it’s false! Sure, but you’re not proving it’s true, and you’re not explaining the gap.

Saying AI coding supremacy will definitely happen in six months doesn’t say why it’s not happening now. The propaganda sure says it’s happening right now — and it just isn’t.

Some slop coders say it’s just unfair to expect a burst of new apps — but they always say any actual measurement is unfair. They prefer vibes.

This is while the AI code propagandists are trumpeting ridiculous gains — one study has 17% of developers (that they asked) claim they’re literally ten times as productive! And I mean, come on now. [Qodo]

Mike advises:

if someone — whether it’s your CEO, your tech lead, or some Reddit dork — claims they’re now a 10xer because of AI, that’s almost assuredly untrue, demand they show receipts or shut the f— up.

• Video version

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

A company-wide email from Comcast executives, sent to everyone working at NBCUniversal on Friday morning, mourns right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk’s death and reminds employees that saying the wrong thing about Kirk’s legacy can get you fired swiftly. 

The email, obtained by 404 Media and first reported by Variety, has the subject line “A message from Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh, and Mark Lazarus.” In it, the executives eulogize Kirk, calling him an “advocate for open debate, whose faith was important to him.” 

Roberts is the Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, Cavanagh is the president, and Lazarus is the prospective CEO of VERSANT, Comcast’s new spinoff that will include the majority of its NBCUniversal cable network portfolio. NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo and more journalistic and entertainment properties are under the NBCUniversal umbrella.

“You may have seen that MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event,” the executives wrote. “That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions.” 

Political analyst Matthew Dowd was fired from MSNBC on Wednesday after speaking about Kirk’s death on air. During a broadcast on Wednesday following the shooting, anchor Katy Tur asked Dowd about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens,” according to Variety. Dowd answered: “He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups. And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in. You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place. And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”

MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler issued an apology in response, calling Dowd’s words “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.” Dowd also apologized publicly, posting on Bluesky: “On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words. Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.” 

Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way

The mainstream media seems entirely uninterested in explaining Charlie Kirk’s work.

404 MediaJason Koebler

MSNBC is a division of NBCUniversal. The letter from Comcast executives reiterates to current employees that their jobs are on the line if they stray from bland, milquetoast statements about a man who spent his life fomenting hate will have consequences on their careers. The entire mainstream media environment has been working overtime to sanitize Kirk’s legacy since his murder—a legacy that includes targeted harassment of professors at schools across the country and normalizing the notion that basic human rights are up for “debate.” 

The full email is below.

Dear Comcast NBCUniversal Team,

The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old father, husband, and advocate for open debate, whose faith was important to him, reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgent need for unity in our nation. Our hearts are heavy, as his passing leaves a grieving family and a country grappling with division. There is no place for violence or hate in our society.

You may have seen that MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event. That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions. We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect. We need to do better.

Charlie Kirk believed that "when people stop talking, really bad stuff starts." Regardless of whether you agreed with his political views, his words and actions underscore the urgency to maintain a respectful exchange of ideas a principle we must champion. We believe in the power of communication to bring us together. Today, that belief feels more vital than ever. Something essential has fractured in our public discourse, and as a company that values the power of information, we have a responsibility to help mend it.

As employees, we ask you to embody our values in your work and communities. We should engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness.