Extensible Software in the Age of LLMs
The rise of LLM-assisted coding is enabling the creation of 'Small Software'—highly personalized, bespoke tools tailored to individual workflows. The author suggests that future software development will shift toward extensible, AI-native platforms that allow users to easily build and share custom features.
Why it matters
This trend could democratize software development, allowing non-technical users to create custom tools that address niche needs currently ignored by enterprise software.
Most of the web software we interact with today is static. The developers have a limited amount of time and attention, and focus on building the features that serve the largest group of users. The top of the demand curve is well-served by existing software, but there is a long-tail of unmet needs that’s different for every user.
Even if the developers were incredibly motivated to shove in every feature, user interfaces can only become so complex before they become unusable. Every additional feature added complicates the product for every other user. If the market for that feature is small, it can actively make the product worse for every user who doesn’t need it.
With this context the rise of LLM-assisted coding has been genuinely empowering for anyone who needed something that fell into this long tail.
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