There’s no doubt that coding agents have changed how software gets built. In the past three years or so, code generators have gone from fancy autocomplete to tools that can whip up a whole application while you wait. Engineers with knowledge of best practices, pitfalls, and the language of software are able to co-create code without having to futz with semicolons and unclosed brackets. What’s in doubt is whether this change has been productive, cost efficient, or good for developers. Easy-to-create code has put greater strain on the later parts of the software development lifecycle (SDLC): code review, DevOps/SRE, security, and infrastructure. It’s also put greater strain on the developers themselves. According to research from Smartsheet , automation intensity for their enterprise users has grown 55% year-over-year, and overall activity has increased 46%.…