Most people don't want to build tools.
They want the tool to already exist - and simply work.
Over the past few weeks, I've been using Claude Code to build a suite of personal productivity tools.
Initially, it felt fascinating - and genuinely empowering. The ability to describe an idea and watch working software emerge in minutes feels like magic.
But something else became apparent just as quickly.
As someone who's reasonably technical - but by no means a software developer - I found myself spending increasing amounts of time testing, iterating, refining prompts, fixing edge cases, validating outputs and tuning the experience (usually after midnight, after my working day was done). Building the tool gradually became the work.
The irony wasn't lost on me.
The productivity gains from having an AI capable of writing software were increasingly offset by the effort required to turn that software into something reliable enough to use every day.
And that got me thinking.
Much of the discussion around AI assumes that because anyone can now generate software, everyone will become a builder.
I'm not convinced.
The capability is unquestionably real. The behavioural shift is far less certain.
Most professionals don't want to build spreadsheet macros, automate workflows or assemble bespoke applications. They want someone to hand them a product that solves the problem with sensible defaults and almost no configuration.
History suggests that's how technology reaches the mainstream.
People didn't want to manage databases to use online banking. They didn't want to understand distributed storage to use cloud photo libraries. The winning products hid the complexity behind a simple, reliable experience.
AI will be no different.
The organisations that succeed in the next phase of AI adoption won't necessarily be those with the most capable models. They'll be the ones that package those models into products, services and workflows that feel almost invisible to the user.
Vibe coding is an extraordinary capability. But building products that everyone else can simply pick up and use remains a very different challenge. And I suspect that's where the biggest opportunity lies.
#ProductStrategy #AIAdoption