On Nov 8, 2026, a user on the V2EX forum posted a discussion of Meng Yan's views on AI and software development. Meng Yan argues that as AI capabilities grow, everyone will be able to build an app through natural language ("talk") to cover their daily needs, without waiting for a generic version that big companies roll out for the majority. That means making money by building apps will become harder. The poster asked: Will selling software become a moot point in the future? Will traditional roles in software development such as product managers, programmers and designers gradually disappear? And how will things change going forward?

Core Argument: Personalized Apps Challenge Generic Software

Meng Yan's view points to a fundamental change in how software is produced. When individuals can generate apps tailored to their specific scenarios at a very low threshold by describing needs in natural language, the business model of traditional software companies—relying on scaled development of generic products and then profiting from selling copies—will face challenges. The poster summed up the logic as "selling software may be a moot point in the future."

As AI capabilities grow, everyone will be able to build an app through talk to cover their daily needs, without waiting for a generic version that big companies make for the majority. That means making money by building apps will become harder.

Forum Debate: Attention on Whether Traditional Roles Will Vanish

The post sparked discussion on V2EX. The poster posed three questions directly: Do you agree with this view? Will traditional roles in software development such as product managers, programmers and designers gradually disappear? And how will things change going forward? As of posting, the discussion was still ongoing, but the material did not include specific replies from other users.

The questions themselves show that the focus has moved beyond "can AI write code" to the deeper impact on the division of labor in the software industry. Roles such as product manager, programmer and designer correspond to stages including requirements analysis, coding and interface design. If AI can connect these stages and respond directly to users' natural language instructions, the necessity and form of the traditional division of labor will be re-examined.

What to Watch Next

  • Whether Meng Yan's view triggers broader industry discussion, and whether more practitioners share empirical experience;
  • The actual capability boundaries of AI-assisted development tools—whether they can truly support the vision of "everyone building apps";
  • The possible direction of adjustments to software companies' business models and team role division.