---
title: "Write It First, Then Let AI Drive - Kenneth Reitz"
description: "!https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-04-12-write_first_let_drive"
date: 2026-04-15
published: true
tags:
  - ai
  - llm
  - thought
template: link
---


<div class="embed-card embed-card-external">
  <a href="https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-04-12-write_it_first_then_let_ai_drive" class="embed-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
    <div class="embed-card-image">
      <img src="https://kennethreitz.org/og-image/essays/2026-04-12-write_it_first_then_let_ai_drive.png" alt="Write It First, Then Let AI Drive — There&#39;s a thing that happens when you start using AI coding tools seriously. You assume the best workflow is obvious: let AI generate the first draft, then..." loading="lazy">
    </div>
    <div class="embed-card-content">
      <div class="embed-card-title">Write It First, Then Let AI Drive</div>
      <div class="embed-card-description">There&#39;s a thing that happens when you start using AI coding tools seriously. You assume the best workflow is obvious: let AI generate the first draft, then...</div>
      <div class="embed-card-meta">Kenneth Reitz &middot; kennethreitz.org</div>
    </div>
  </a>
</div>


Interesting take by Kenneth Reitz.  Not quite sure how I feel about it anymore.  It kinda hurts, but I'm not sure if code aesthetics matter as much as the product anymore.  I cared when I was the one editing, but at this point I'm not doing a lot of edits by hand.  Do these aesthetics affect the final products that users use, Not sure.  AI makes me sad.