Four "Oh Shit" Moments That Changed How I Build Software

I've had 4 "oh shit" moments with AI in just 18 months.

Each one fundamentally changed how I work.

Moment 1: Copilot autocomplete My IDE started finishing my thoughts. So good it made me switch from vim to VS Code.

Moment 2: ChatGPT became table stakes Revolutionary for a month. Then everyone had it. But the copy-paste workflow killed my flow state. VS Code added chat, but the UX felt clunky.

Moment 3: Cursor Game changer. Next-level autocomplete predicting entire functions. Natural chat with cmd+K.

Then came their agent. Watching it work autonomously felt surreal.

Until it went rogue. Making unwanted changes. Refactoring unnecessarily. I spent 30% more time rolling back than coding.

Moment 4: Claude Code Finally, autonomous development WITH control.

It reads my entire codebase, runs commands, debugs errors, implements features. But stays on task. No surprises.

The catch? It pushed me back to the terminal. Great for developers. Terrible for non-technical users.

What's Moment 5?

Someone will combine Claude Code's power with Cursor's accessibility. Autonomous AI that anyone can direct visually.

The pattern is clear: Each breakthrough solves the last one's friction.

The adaptation speed is breathtaking.

Cursor's chat was amazing for months. Now it feels ordinary. Claude Code already feels normal after weeks.

These tools aren't just for coding anymore. I use Claude Code for content creation, marketing campaigns, data analysis.

The same evolution transforming software development is transforming ALL knowledge work.

And we're just getting started.

What AI tool gave you your biggest "oh shit" moment?

Originally posted on LinkedIn on July 24, 2025