The cost to run an autonomous AI coding agent is surprisingly low, reframing the value of developer time. A single coding iteration can cost as little as $3, meaning a complete feature built over 10 iterations could be completed for around $30, making complex software development radically more accessible.
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Unlike co-pilots that assist developers, Factory's “droids” are designed to be autonomous. This reframes the developer's job from writing code to mastering delegation—clearly defining tasks and success criteria for an AI agent to execute independently.
The biggest opportunity for AI isn't just automating existing human work, but tackling the vast number of valuable tasks that were never done because they were economically inviable. AI and agents thrive on low-cost, high-consistency tasks that were too tedious or expensive for humans, creating entirely new value.
Previously, building sophisticated digital experiences required large, expensive development teams. AI and agentic tools level the playing field, allowing smaller businesses to compete on capabilities that were once out of reach. This creates a new 'guy in the garage' threat for established players.
A crew of four specialized AI agents—a front-end developer, back-end developer, tester, and project manager—successfully built a robust, sophisticated stock trading platform in just 90 minutes. This demonstrates that multi-agent systems can now autonomously handle complex software development from start to finish.
Because AI agents operate autonomously, developers can now code collaboratively while on calls. They can brainstorm, kick off a feature build, and have it ready for production by the end of the meeting, transforming coding from a solo, heads-down activity to a social one.
Factory frames the AI coding landscape using the Henry Ford analogy. AI assistants that simply speed up line-by-line coding are merely 'faster horses.' The true paradigm shift—the 'automobile'—is delegating entire tasks to autonomous agents, fundamentally changing the developer workflow.
AI acts as a massive force multiplier for software development. By using AI agents for coding and code review, with humans providing high-level direction and final approval, a two-person team can achieve the output of a much larger engineering organization.
Even for complex, multi-hour tasks requiring millions of tokens, current AI agents are at least an order of magnitude cheaper than paying a human with relevant expertise. This significant cost advantage suggests that economic viability will not be a near-term bottleneck for deploying AI on increasingly sophisticated tasks.
Traditionally, building software required deep knowledge of many complex layers and team handoffs. AI agents change this paradigm. A creator can now provide a vague idea and receive a 60-70% complete, working artifact, dramatically shortening the iteration cycle from months to minutes and bypassing initial complexities.
The current model of a developer using an AI assistant is like a craftsman with a power tool. The next evolution is "factory farming" code, where orchestrated multi-agent systems manage the entire development lifecycle—planning, implementation, review, and testing—moving it from a craft to an industrial process.
