I get a lot of DMs from new developers asking: "Is AI going to replace me?"
No. But I'll tell you what will replace you: building things that no one pays for.
The new gen problem
Devs in 2026 are the best-educated generation ever. They can use AI to generate complex code in minutes.
But they don't know how to answer one simple question:
"Who is going to pay for this, and why?"
Why "Spotify Clones" are a career killer
- They take 3-6 months
- They solve zero new problems
- They teach you nothing about business constraints
- They produce no clients, no revenue, no case studies
The better approach
-
Pick a boring problem.
- A local restaurant needs a waitlist.
- A construction company needs a timesheet tracker.
- A yoga studio needs a class booking system.
-
Build the smallest possible version.
- A single HTML page with a form.
- A back-end script that writes to a Google Sheet.
- A simple notification to the business owner.
-
Charge for it.
- $50/month for the first 3 months.
- If they don't pay, it wasn't a real problem.
Code Example: The "Boring" MVP
`
-- No fancy UI. No AI recommendations.
-- Just a REST endpoint that inserts into a sheet.
from flask import Flask, request
import gspread
app = Flask(name)
@app.route('/submit', methods=['POST'])
def submit_lead():
data = request.json
# Write to Google Sheet (owner can see it instantly)
gc = gspread.service_account()
sh = gc.open("Lead Tracker")
sh.sheet1.append_row([data['name'], data['email'], data['message']])
return {"status": "ok"}
if name == 'main':
app.run()
`
The outcome
- 7 local clients paying 50/month=50/month=350/month passive
- Real case study to show in interviews
- Proof that you solve problems, not just write code
My full portfolio (built for real businesses):
Shahzaib
Case study (built with this approach):
Case Study