Code is clay now
The author argues that agentic coding has transformed software development, making code malleable like clay rather than rigid like stone. This shift allows developers to iterate rapidly, though it requires stronger architectural judgment to prevent structural failure.
Why it matters
It highlights a fundamental shift in software engineering workflows driven by AI, emphasizing that human oversight remains critical despite increased automation.
In the Middle Ages of coding (that is, before November 2025), we coder-stonemasons spent our days meticulously carving code-stone into finished pieces. Stone is unforgiving, and modifying it remained difficult even as better tools improved things over time. Small corrections were okay-ish (some chiseling here, some patching there), but larger ones meant demolition, scaffolding and a careful plan pinned to the wall.
Agentic coding has turned that around: code has become malleable . Even though it’s still made of the same underlying substance as medieval code, the cost of making a change has collapsed. That makes it behave like a different material entirely. Code is clay now.
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