The disappearing middle of software work

The post argues that software work is changing because coding agents can produce working code from goals, context, and tasks with less direct coding and less reliance on the IDE. As that happens, the middle of software work gets thinner, while the work of defining the problem, gathering context, and shaping intent matters more.

It also says design is about forming clarity through ideas, research, exploration, and discussion, and that directing agent work becomes the craft. The post adds that review, testing, and release need to improve as the middle produces more output with less supervision, and that tools should reduce ambiguity for both humans and agents.

Reading notes

#

• Coding agents can now produce working code from goals, context, and tasks with less direct interaction with the code.
• The IDE becomes more of a code viewer than a writing tool.
• The middle of software work shrinks as less time is spent translating intent into implementation.
• The important work shifts toward understanding the problem, gathering context from customers and internal teams, and shaping the work so it can be acted on.
• Design is presented as forming clarity through ideas, exploration, research, and discussion.
• Good product work is described as seeking clarity about what should matter, what constraints apply, and what tradeoffs are acceptable.
• Directing and managing agent work becomes part of the craft.
• Writing code becomes less like constructing a solution and more like setting up conditions for a good solution to emerge.
• The Linear workspace is described as a coordination and context layer for product work that captures intent, needs, constraints, and ownership.
• Structured tools reduce ambiguity for both humans and agents.
• As the middle produces more output with less supervision, review, testing, and releasing code become more pressured.
• Tooling and workflows need to improve so they can handle the output and blend into the overall process.
• When the middle disappears or blends in, forming the right intent and checking that the outcome meets it becomes more important.