Malleable software = solid bases and custom code

The productivity software market is undergoing a major shift driven by AI, forcing a fundamental question about whether to build custom applications from scratch or use a solid base with customizable code. Traditional approaches—building from scratch with AI tools, vibe-coding, low-code platforms, or using malleable tools like Notion—each have significant limitations when scaling beyond solo use, particularly for collaborative features like concurrent editing, permissions, and data relationships. The author suggests the future belongs to solutions offering a robust foundation with the flexibility for custom code, rather than purely generative or low-code approaches.