I find LLMs 100x more productive for greenfield work.
If I want to create a React app with X amount of pages, some Redux stores, Auth, etc. then it can smash that out in minutes. I can say "now add X" and it'll do it. Generally with good results.
But when it comes to maintaining existing systems, or adding more complicated features, or needing to know business domain details, a LLM is usually not that great for me. They're still great as a code suggestion tool, finishing lines and functions. But as far as delivering whole features, they're pretty useless once you get past the easy stuff. And you'll spend as much time directing the LLM to do this kind of this as you would just writing it yourself.
What I tend to do is write stubbed out code in the design I like, then I'll get an LLM to just fill in the gaps.
These people who say LLMs make them 100x more productive probably are only working on greenfield stuff and haven't got to the hard bit yet.
Like everyone says, the first 90% is the easy bit. The last 10% is where you'll spend most of your time, and I don't see LLMs doing the hard bit that well currently.
If I want to create a React app with X amount of pages, some Redux stores, Auth, etc. then it can smash that out in minutes. I can say "now add X" and it'll do it. Generally with good results.
But when it comes to maintaining existing systems, or adding more complicated features, or needing to know business domain details, a LLM is usually not that great for me. They're still great as a code suggestion tool, finishing lines and functions. But as far as delivering whole features, they're pretty useless once you get past the easy stuff. And you'll spend as much time directing the LLM to do this kind of this as you would just writing it yourself.
What I tend to do is write stubbed out code in the design I like, then I'll get an LLM to just fill in the gaps.
These people who say LLMs make them 100x more productive probably are only working on greenfield stuff and haven't got to the hard bit yet.
Like everyone says, the first 90% is the easy bit. The last 10% is where you'll spend most of your time, and I don't see LLMs doing the hard bit that well currently.