{"slug": "disposable-software", "title": "Disposable Software", "summary": "Software is becoming disposable as AI tools like Claude Code make it easier to write new code than maintain old systems, but network effects remain the enduring competitive advantage for organizations.", "body_md": "[Disposable software](https://seths.blog/2026/07/disposable-software/)\n\nEven though it’s invisible, easily transported and weightless, software used to stick around. It took years to architect and build a complex bit of software, and thousands of people to help maintain it. Even a complex website could be seen as a durable technical asset.\n\nNow, with Claude Code on everyone’s desk, new software is often easier to write than old software is to maintain.\n\nNo one gives a second thought to disposable cups or bottles–and we’re in the midst of an explosion of temporary and disposable software that will dwarf what came before.\n\nAnd yet, one thing persists: The network.\n\nWhen an organization is at the center of a network, it doesn’t matter if a competitor makes a fresh new piece of software. The network sticks around.\n\nA vibrant network is more valuable than ever. People like us are here, doing things like this. Why would we go over there?", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/disposable-software", "canonical_source": "https://seths.blog/2026/07/disposable-software/", "published_at": "2026-07-15 18:13:18+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-15 18:28:23.067547+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-tools", "developer-tools"], "entities": ["Claude Code"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/disposable-software", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/disposable-software.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/disposable-software.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/disposable-software.jsonld"}}