Small is the New Big: Building for One in the Age of AI
2025-08-17
In the era of AI-assisted coding, the cost of building small, personal applications has plummeted. The author shares anecdotes of creating several small utilities: a private Slack workspace for a hundred people, a simple app for sending postcards to his mother, and a small program that calls her to remind her to take medication. These aren't designed for scale, but to meet specific needs for himself and a small circle. The author argues that the real luxury isn't speed or cost, but the freedom to stop, to build something small, useful, and perfectly personal, without the obligation to grow it until it breaks. In a world obsessed with scale, there's quiet satisfaction in leaving 'good enough' alone.