I agree with the headline, but I don't think LLMs are a reliable way of optimizing software.

First of all, coding speed is not the main bottleneck. I've been working on my own JavaScript framework. Most of my work is talking to people about challenges they have with web development, doing research on existing tools, and thinking about features to add.

Coding more slowly without LLM usage is a benefit because it helps me understand every line of code. The slower pace also helps me think about making things intuitive and reflect on my experiences with React.

While my framework is outperforming React, that isn't particularly impressive. On the other hand, it demonstrates how ignoring LLMs improves quality. Also, my monthly token spend is $0.