Developer argues AI is making coding a pay-to-win field, not a meritocracy

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A software developer and student from a developing country has voiced concern that AI tools are shifting programming from an effort-based pursuit to a budget-driven one. While the developer is not troubled by AI writing code itself, the growing cost barrier behind premium AI models is what they find deeply troubling. Previously, anyone with a basic computer, free tools, and determination could build meaningful software; today, productivity increasingly depends on affording expensive AI subscriptions. Students in lower-income countries, where $20 a month is often unrealistic, risk being left behind as wealthier users one-shot projects that once took months of dedicated work. The developer argues this financial divide is eroding both the accessibility and the personal satisfaction that originally made software development so uniquely democratic.

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