Thorsten Ball: Claude Code 'Builds, Not Buys' — 2,430-Repo Study Shows DIY Dominance

Register Spill (Thorsten Ball)·low signal

Thorsten Ball's Register Spill newsletter analyzed a study where Claude Code was pointed at 2,430 real repositories with no tool names in prompts and open-ended questions only. The key finding: 'Claude Code builds, not buys' — custom/DIY was the most common label, appearing in 12 of 20 categories. Ball also discusses a hiring approach where candidates solve problems with AI tools, evaluating how they balance LLM output against their own judgment. This data supports the thesis that AI coding agents increase bespoke code production rather than increasing library/framework adoption.