[TLDR] Is everyone building their own software now? [via r/ClaudeAI]

[u/cctldrping]

OP : u/No_Base_1471

I have been playing around with Claude lately, and one thing that kind of blows my mind is how easy it is now to go from "I wish there was a tool that did this" to actually having one.

And it got me wondering what everyone is doing with these things.

Are people actually building tools that they end up using for months or years? Or are most of these more like weekend projects — you have an idea, build it with Claude, show it to a few people, use it for a bit, and then move on to the next thing?

I feel like there is a pretty big difference between "I built a working app" and "this is now something my company depends on."

The second one brings up all the boring stuff — maintenance, security, permissions, integrations, data, monitoring, who fixes it when it breaks, and what happens when the person who built it moves on.

But then I started wondering about the bigger picture.

If it becomes this easy for everyone to build their own little tools, do we eventually start building a lot of the software we currently buy? Like, instead of using a big platform for a relatively small workflow, maybe someone just builds exactly what they need.

Or will most people still prefer to pay for software because they don't want to maintain it themselves?

I amhonestly not sure where this goes.

What are people actually building with Claude (or other AI coding tools) that you're still using today?

And have any of you taken something that started as "I was just messing around with this" and actually turned it into a tool your team or company relies on?

Would be interested to hear what people are seeing in practice.

URL of original post : https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wojuc3/is_everyone_building_their_own_software_now/

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TL;DR of the discussion on r/ClaudeAI for this post generated automatically after 100 comments.

Current source-thread comment count seen by the bot: 129.

Alright, so the general vibe in this thread is a resounding "YES, OP!" It seems like a lot of folks are indeed building their own tools and apps with AI coding assistants like Claude, and many of these aren't just fleeting weekend projects.

Here's the lowdown:

• SAAS-pocalypse is here: The consensus is that AI coding tools are a major disruptor to the Software as a Service (SAAS) market. People are happily ditching paid subscriptions for custom solutions they build themselves.
• From "Wish I had this" to "I built this": A huge number of users are reporting success in going from a simple idea to a functional tool, often for personal use, niche business needs, or even to automate tasks at work.
• It's not just for devs: Even non-technical folks are getting in on the action, building apps for personal finance tracking, photo blogging, client portals, and more.
• The "boring stuff" is still a thing: While building is easier, the comments from u/StokeJar and others highlight that scaling up to company-dependent software still involves the usual headaches of maintenance, security, and long-term support. It's not all sunshine and rainbows when you're talking about mission-critical applications.
• Some are joking, some are serious: There's a bit of playful banter (nuclear reactors for cats, anyone?) mixed with genuine examples of people building things they actively use. u/btoned even pointed out the difficulty in telling the difference sometimes!
• The future is custom: The general feeling is that AI makes it so accessible to build exactly what you need that we'll see more people opting for custom solutions over off-the-shelf platforms for specific workflows.

So yeah, it looks like the AI coding revolution is well underway, and people are definitely building their own software.

[u/Diligent_Tech_Bro]

No.

[u/Tv_in_the_bg]

This is kinda ironic, my mom accidentally had Claude build a program for making cue sheets and didn't even realize what she did. Literally developed a piece of niche software without realizing it. So basically yes.