When I started out as a developer, I had a graybeard observe for me that Moore's law also applies to software. I didn't understand that this constant conversation about how we were solving problems was the arc of progress; that complaining about J2EE and how slow Netbeans was, and wheezing about table-based layouts and constant full-page reloads, was the day-to-day optimizing that is also an engine of progress.

The last eighteen months have been a particular window of relentless improvement. Tab completions have given way to agentic coding which has given way to managing your agents with a harness. I've gone from being awed at the productivity gains to settling into the game and squeezing the lemon to see what I can get.

There are new truths

Single developer projects can build to the caliber and consistency of large development teams.…