The Speed of AI and the Context Absorption Problem
Think about what happens when you're asked to tackle a problem at work. Nowadays, we have tools like Claude, Codex, and AI. What's happening now is that something that could have taken four to six months with raw programming is now taking only about four hours. If you're using Claude and have all its capabilities, you can do it even faster.
People also have a swarm of agents working for them. However, what's now happening is that management expects you to accomplish even more within the same timeframe. They say, "We're paying for your subscriptions and resources, so get the work done."
Eventually, as employees, we feel obligated to use these resources, implement them, and deliver solutions. To be completely honest, it also becomes addicting because vibe coding gives you so much satisfaction when you're able to accomplish things so quickly.
One of the harms of this is that something that should have taken four months can now be done in four hours. That means the amount of code stays the same, but you have to understand four months' worth of context within four hours. Things are happening so fast that most engineers nowadays aren't even looking at the code.
I believe this is a fundamental issue that engineers need to adapt to by building the skill of rigor and absorbing more context, because the world isn't going to slow down. Companies are always going to want more because the capability is there.
Shortcuts will be taken, but I wanted all of you to know that this is a very valid feeling. It's something our human brains are among the first to experience in our generation, probably in the lifetime of humans. Our brains are evolving, and we're going to emerge as better, smarter, faster, and more efficient humans.
However, it's really important to understand that it's okay to take a step back and take breaks, because we're now producing the output of multiple months' worth of work very quickly, and we need to review and ensure it's all accurate. So strengthen your fundamentals, give yourself time, be kind, and stay optimistic.