A custom software project that cost $500,000 two years ago can be done for $100,000 today by a small team using AI.

The bad: Product companies with 100-person teams will likely scale down to 30, unless they have a deep backlog they want to work through.

The good: A whole set of projects that weren't economically viable two years ago now are. Enterprises can finally afford custom software they've always needed but couldn't justify. Entrepreneurs can chase market segments too small to support a traditional team.

Anthropic published this chart in early March 2026, and it freaked a lot of people out.

I look at this chart and I see opportunity.

In five years I may not be working for the same people on the same kinds of projects. But the demand for people who can deploy AI and build custom software will only grow.

Maybe I'm weird, but I find that very exciting.