2026-01-05 00:27:43

Here's something worth pondering: the ancient Egyptians could construct the pyramids, yet they couldn't have built the Empire State Building. Why? Different constraints, different tools, different systems thinking.

The parallel is striking when you look at software engineering. For decades—really, since the 1970s—we've been incrementally iterating. Better languages, frameworks, methodologies... sure. But transformative? Order-of-magnitude improvements? Not quite.

Then AI arrived. And suddenly, the game changed.

What we're witnessing isn't just another technology cycle. It's a fundamental shift in how we architect solutions, how we solve complex systems problems, how we scale development itself. The tooling landscape is getting rewritten in real time.

The systems thinkers in our space have been calling this for a while. They were right. We're in that rare moment where the entire trajectory of an industry gets redirected. The ceiling that seemed fixed is getting shattered.

It's a remarkable time to be building.

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TokenToaster

· 19h ago

NGL, this pyramid analogy is really brilliant, but it feels like software engineering should have been broken open long ago. Since AI arrived, the entire development ecosystem is really changing; it's not hype, it's genuinely rewriting the rules. By the way, those who understand systems thinking saw this coming a long time ago. Now it's our turn, us coders, to witness history haha.

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AirdropHarvester

· 01-05 00:57

ngl, the pyramid analogy is okay, but the real turning point actually started a long time ago; AI just gave everyone the courage.

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HorizonHunter

· 01-05 00:57

ngl this time AI is really different, it feels like opening the door to a new era

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gm_or_ngmi

· 01-05 00:54

NGL, that analogy is perfect—comparing a pyramid to an empire state building really hit home for me. Really, since AI arrived, the whole feeling has changed. The previous 50 years of iteration were truly stagnant... now the ceiling has shattered.

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SandwichTrader

· 01-05 00:54

ngl, the pyramid compared to the Empire State Building is a bit of a stretch, but AI really hits the mark when it comes to changing the rules of game development.

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StablecoinAnxiety

· 01-05 00:41

AI is truly different now. Previously, those framework iterations felt like just patching...

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GasFeeAssassin

· 01-05 00:30

AI really has changed the game, no doubt about that... but honestly, right now AI is everywhere, and it feels a bit overhyped. --- The analogy of the pyramid vs. the Empire State Building is good, but what is the real turning point in software engineering? Can you elaborate? --- System thinkers have indeed noticed this, but the problem is that most people are still coding with 70s mindset haha. --- Oh right, the ceiling has been broken... so what’s next? Where are the truly profitable opportunities? --- Every time I read articles like this, I want to ask: are those still using traditional frameworks already out? --- Remarkable time to build? I see more as a remarkable time to hype... not sure if it’s just me being too pessimistic or what. --- I agree with the part about rewriting the toolchain, but is this progress or just different chaos?

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