Why dev teams using AI doesn't lead to increased revenue

Summary

AI coding tools are increasing the speed at which teams can produce code and ship features, but faster development does not automatically lead to higher revenue. The speaker argues that software is not like a factory: producing more widgets can increase sales when demand exists, whereas adding more features does not necessarily make software more useful, easier to sell, or commercially successful.

Repeated feature releases can also make a product worse by adding complexity, slowing it down, disrupting familiar workflows, and increasing maintenance burdens. Users often value stability, reliability, speed, and ease of use more than a constant stream of additions.

The speaker gives Linear as an example, saying its frequent updates can feel overwhelming. Improvements to speed, stability, and usability may be more valuable than major interface changes or unwanted features.

Feature development can also be difficult to evaluate. It may take a long time to determine whether a release affects key metrics or revenue, and analytics may not make the impact clear. Even features requested by sales prospects or offered by competitors do not guarantee that customers will switch or that the product will retain what makes it distinctive.

The central challenge is deciding what to build, when to build it, and how to market and sell it. AI tools can accelerate implementation, but they cannot determine what customers need or which features are commercially viable. That requires customer conversations, an understanding of real problems, product judgment, and deliberate strategy.

Successful software should serve people’s needs—such as making work easier or enabling new capabilities—rather than pursue feature quantity for its own sake.

Source and Format

• Main speaker/source: Brett Codes, speaking from personal work experience and observations of colleagues and industry peers.
• Reviews, guides, or tutorials: None presented; the video offers industry analysis and a product example.