Leaders who try to cut developers out with outsourcing, no-code, or AI end up deepening dependency; the article shows why shared understanding, platform teams, and context ownership are the real solution.
Every few years business leaders chase the fantasy that software can be had without developers, first with offshore outsourcing, then with no-code, and now with AI code generators. Each wave promises lower cost and higher velocity, but the article shows why those promises collapse: developers provide the context and understanding that contracts and tools cannot deliver.
The piece walks through how outsourcing failed because you can ship labor but not the business's knowledge of its own problems. It then describes the no-code backlash, where "citizen developers" built fragile automations that required professional developers to rescue. Finally, it warns that AI-generated code merely adds more lines that still need human comprehension, testing, and integration, illustrating a modern Jevons' Paradox.
The core argument is that software is the medium of modern business, not a service to be outsourced. Leaders should stop trying to eliminate developers and instead invest in shared understanding: clear interfaces, platform teams that enable rather than just deliver tooling, and practices that keep domain knowledge in the hands of those who build the systems.
Practical takeaways include pairing developers with domain experts, measuring learning velocity instead of pure delivery speed, and using AI as an accelerator for comprehension, not a replacement. The article reframes developer dependency as a strategic asset rather than a cost, urging leaders to build collaboration loops that keep both sides aligned.
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