Blog
Stack Overflow Business
Stack Internal: the knowledge intelligence layer that powers enterprise AI.
Stack Data Licensing: decades of verified, technical knowledge to boost AI performance and trust.
Stack Ads: engage developers where it matters — in their daily workflow.

Issue 354: Sometimes, AI is just better than us

We’ve reached an interesting inflection point in tech where we might just have to admit that computers are (sometimes) better than us—at least when it comes to generating sheer volumes of code. Luckily, there’s one thing humans are still really good at: evolving to meet new challenges. This issue, we’re thinking about that human resilience, and how we can shift the paradigm to still come out on top against the bots.

On the podcast, we sit down with Honeycomb co-founder Charity Majors to discuss treating code like cattle instead of pets and navigating the increasingly blurry line between system observability and outright human surveillance. Speaking of tech evolution, we've also got a sit-down with Java creator James Gosling to discuss how the stringent reliability requirements of 90s consumer electronics—think elevators and toasters—birthed one of the most ubiquitous programming languages in history. Plus, we’re tackling the exaggerated rumors of Stack Overflow’s demise, explaining why a JSON schema isn't actually an AI governance layer, and rolling out new context-delivery features in Stack Internal to keep your team aligned.

Plus this week, we’ve got stories from all over the web on everything from keeping the open web open to unleashing AI agent swarms into Minecraft for "research" to figuring out if we really are more than the sum of all our parts. Want to get a leg up on the AI bots? Start with building a bit of knowledge by heading down to the links below.

From the blog

It’s ok that computers are (sometimes) better than us

Ryan is joined by Charity Majors, co-founder and CTO at Honeycomb, for a conversation about applying the concept of immutable infrastructure to software development to treat code like cattle instead of pets, shifting the paradigm of system specifications to accommodate the rapid influx of AI-generated code, and navigating the complex ethical boundaries between system observability and human surveillance in modern technology ecosystems.

The reports of Stack Overflow's death are greatly exaggerated

I’ve seen the recent predictions about Stack Overflow’s demise. They make for compelling headlines, but they confuse a change in how people access knowledge with the disappearance of the knowledge—and the company—behind it.

A JSON schema Is not an AI governance layer

The AI governance argument is happening one layer above the code that actually stops your agent.

Delivering controlled and concentrated context

Check out the new features and capabilities now available in Stack Internal and Stack Internal Community. Try Stack Internal for free by visiting stackinternal.com.

Elevators, toasters, and the birth of Java

Ryan sits down with James Gosling, creator of Java at Sun Microsystems, to talk about the early networking friction that drove the need for interconnectedness, the stringent reliability requirements of consumer electronics companies that inspired the Java virtual machine, and the evolution of garbage collectors that allow Java to handle large-scale concurrent memory management.

Your Expertise. Extraordinary Possibilities.

At Raytheon, bring your ingenuity to the challenges behind mission-ready capabilities. Turn your technical expertise into technologies that help protect people and create a safer, more connected world.

Interesting questions

Would Fredo have been executed if he left Cuba with Michael?

But he didn’t know it was going to be a hit!

Archive vs repository

One is a meticulously preserved historical collection, and the other is a graveyard of PRs.

Is emergence as a phenomenon just something we project onto reality?

This question is larger than the sum of its parts.

Why does my program work in C23 and not in C11?

Just tell your project manager that your code isn't broken, it's just from the future.

Links from around the web

AI isn't replacing SREs, it's deskilling them

Or the more terrifying option: never-skilling.

Astroterm: A planetarium for your terminal

Finally, a way to look at the stars without the terrifying requirement of having to go outside.

Breaking the open web won't stop the bad bots

It’s kind of like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

We ran AI agent swarms in Minecraft and Mindustry

It’s not procrastinating if you’re playing Minecraft for research purposes.

Are you using AI agents to get work done? We want to talk to you! We’re recruiting for paid research interviews to learn more about agentic workflows in everything from engineering to product to marketing.