Some Things Just Take Time: Armin Ronacher on Speed, Friction, and AI-Generated Software
Some Things Just Take Time: Armin Ronacher on Speed, Friction, and AI-Generated Software
Armin Ronacher — the creator of Flask, Click, and Sentry — has published a reflective essay titled "Some Things Just Take Time" that has struck a nerve on Hacker News, reaching 712 points. In it, he argues that the tech industry's obsession with speed is actively harmful to software quality, and that some things simply cannot be rushed.
The Tree Metaphor
Ronacher opens with a simple observation: trees take decades to grow. A 50-year-old oak provides shade, character, and property value that no amount of money or effort can replicate on a new plot. The same principle applies to software, companies, and open source projects — genuine depth and reliability require sustained effort over years.
Friction Is Good
The essay challenges the prevailing "move fast" mentality:
- Speed obsession: The current generation of founders and developers treats speed as an unquestioned virtue. Fast iteration and rapid deployment are fine for experimentation, but actively harmful for things that require deliberation.
- Compliance as friction: Ronacher points to SOC2 compliance and similar processes. The tech industry has spawned countless turnkey solutions (like Delve) to eliminate this friction. But he argues that the friction exists for a reason — it forces thoughtful decision-making.
- AI-powered review removal: There's a growing desire to eliminate all remaining friction from code reviews, infrastructure design, and permission systems. "If the machines are so great, why do we even need checklists?" he asks rhetorically.
"Vibe Slop at Inference Speeds"
Perhaps the essay's most memorable phrase: Ronacher describes the current state of AI-assisted software development as "vibe slop at inference speeds." The concern isn't that AI can't write code — it can. The concern is that accelerating the creation of software that people and businesses depend on, without the friction of careful review and testing, produces code with a short shelf life.
Tenacity Over Speed
The core argument is that the defining element of successful companies and open source projects isn't speed — it's tenacity. The ability of leadership and maintainers to stick with a problem for years, build relationships, and work through challenges that are fundamentally defined by human lifetimes.
Why It Matters
This essay arrives at a critical inflection point. As AI tools make it trivially easy to generate code, the question of what makes software good becomes more important than ever. Ronacher's answer: time, patience, and the willingness to let things be difficult.
Source: Armin Ronacher's Blog | HN Discussion