"If every product is used by an agent driving a CLI, what’s going to differentiate Basecamp or Fizzy from the cheapest alternative?"
At that point, why even bother with "driving a CLI"? I have a hard time seeing how this all doesn't go away soon. At the current trajectory, I am not seeing a future where software like Basecamp or Fizzy or the cheapest alternative are competitive with "Claude, build a basecamp-style project management tool for my team."
I don't mean to say that thoughtfully built, opinionated software doesn't have intrinsic value, I believe it will always be "better" in certain aspects...I just can't fathom that a market for it will exist in very short order.
I would LOVE to be talked out of this perspective.
The phrase I've found useful is Yegge's "Crystalized Cognition" <a href="https://steve-yegge.medium.com/software-survival-3-0-97a2a6255f7b" rel="nofollow">https://steve-yegge.medium.com/software-survival-3-0-97a2a62...
Claude can 100% build you your own basecamp quickly, but there is a lot of good thinking that has gone into a product. Edge cases. Integrations. Clarity of thinking and ways to extend it. Agents love standing on the shoulders of good crystalized cognition (grep, curl etc), but I think that extends even beyond base CLI tools.
Which is not to say that "cheapest alternative" won't be much more important than it is now, but the tools that will succeed are the ones that solve clear problems with accessible CLI/tool-call like interfaces and take significant load off the agent running, while doing it efficiently and cost effectively so they are clearly better than building it yourself.
To be fair, there will be a ton of margin collapse and that will be unachievable by a lot of current orgs / structures.
captainclam · · focus · HN ↗
At that point, why even bother with "driving a CLI"? I have a hard time seeing how this all doesn't go away soon. At the current trajectory, I am not seeing a future where software like Basecamp or Fizzy or the cheapest alternative are competitive with "Claude, build a basecamp-style project management tool for my team."
I don't mean to say that thoughtfully built, opinionated software doesn't have intrinsic value, I believe it will always be "better" in certain aspects...I just can't fathom that a market for it will exist in very short order.
I would LOVE to be talked out of this perspective.
jdwyah · · focus · HN ↗
Claude can 100% build you your own basecamp quickly, but there is a lot of good thinking that has gone into a product. Edge cases. Integrations. Clarity of thinking and ways to extend it. Agents love standing on the shoulders of good crystalized cognition (grep, curl etc), but I think that extends even beyond base CLI tools.
Which is not to say that "cheapest alternative" won't be much more important than it is now, but the tools that will succeed are the ones that solve clear problems with accessible CLI/tool-call like interfaces and take significant load off the agent running, while doing it efficiently and cost effectively so they are clearly better than building it yourself.
To be fair, there will be a ton of margin collapse and that will be unachievable by a lot of current orgs / structures.