Dennis H. Lewis argues AI won't kill no-code platforms like Bubble because founders value understanding and modifying their own code, plus the stable infrastructure no-code handles. He draws on 40 years building systems to show that maintainable, debuggable software beats speed when markets shift.
Chapters
JJ Engler just quit no-code after 5 years. His reason? He says AI does it better. But here's what he's missing, and it's costing people like you thousands of dollars and months of wasted time. I'm Dennis H. Lewis from ratio.dev. I've been building software for 40 years, ever since IBM's secret AIX operating system team to helping Hundreds of startups scale with no-code. And today I need to talk to you about something important. Look, JJ's a smart guy. I've taken his courses. I followed him on social media, but this article, it's missing 3 fundamental truths that could make or break your business. And if you stick around, I'll show you exactly why. First, let me say this. JJ's article resonated with a lot of people, and I get why. He says that AI does 3 things better than no-code: builds faster, anyone can do it, and it's cheaper. On the surface, that sounds pretty compelling. AI is incredible. I use it every day. In fact, we just built an awesome voice input reusable element in Bubble that lets users talk to your apps instead of typing, all powered by AI transcription. But here's where I disagree with JJ's conclusion. See, those 3 benefits he mentioned— speed, accessibility, cost— aren't actually the best reasons to use no-code in the first place. And that's the problem. Let me tell you what I think JJ missed. The biggest advantage of no-code isn't just that you can build, it's that you can understand what you're building. There's no question that AI can build software. The question is, can it build sustainable software that can be a sustainable business? Software that can grow, pivot, and adapt. And more importantly, will you be able to understand it? When AI writes code for you, the result is code, and it's opaque unless you're already a developer. That means that the output is going to be a black box that you're not going to understand. But with platforms like Bubble, you can literally read your application like a book. And I learned this back in 1990 when I moved to Spain and started building tech businesses. The entrepreneurs who succeeded weren't always the ones with the best developers. The smartest or the brightest or the most hardworking. They were the ones who understood their systems well enough to make smart decisions. And that's understanding. It's your competitive advantage, not speed, but understanding. The second issue I take with JJ's article is he glosses over infrastructure. He mentions that you can run things basically here for free. On Vercel or Cloudflare. But here's the truth. Infrastructure is complicated. We're talking databases, servers, availability, security, all these levels in your tech stack. And the peace of mind of knowing that an established platform like Bubble is handling all of that, that has enormous value. Sure, you're gonna pay for it, but it has enormous value. If you go the AI route and manage infrastructure for yourself, that's a job. Either it costs you money or it costs you time, or most likely it's gonna cost you both. And here's what really keeps me up at night about AI-generated code. All those different layers of your software stack, they're evolving, they're changing. New versions come out and incompatibilities show up. And if you've got to manage that yourself, when something breaks, and believe me, it will break, you're spending hours, maybe days figuring out how to fix it. And with Bubble, that's their problem, not yours. But here's the biggest thing JJ misses. The question every founder should ask: can you build a sustainable business? Look, it might be true that AI can build faster, It might even be cheaper upfront, but can you build something that you understand, that you can debug, that you can pivot when the market shifts? Because the market will shift. When you need to restructure your database or add a new feature, you're not going to be spending hours in an infinite loop trying to get AI to fix its own problems. And I've seen this pattern for over 40 years. The tools change, the platforms evolve. But the businesses that win are the ones that are built on foundations that their founders actually understand. Look, I started many, many moons ago building business applications using IBM's mini computer range, the AS/400, it was originally called in the I series. And I'll be honest with you, these weren't the sexiest platforms out there. They weren't necessarily cutting edge, they were stable, they were robust, they were unbreakable, and it was relatively easy to build business software with them. And that gave these businesses that were clients of mine enormous advantages in the marketplace. In fact, applications that I personally developed, uh, 25, 30 years ago, I know for a fact that they're still running in the marketplace and they're still being used and they're still creating competitive advantage for those clients that I had at the time. So don't underestimate the power of having a platform underneath that is sustainable. And now I want to also mention that you can now build web applications and native mobile apps that share a common backend within Bubble, all in one seamless platform. And I challenge you to try cobbling that together with AI-generated code from different tools, you'll end up with a nightmare mishmash that barely works together. Okay? So that is a very important value proposition. But now let me be clear about something. I'm not anti-AI. Hell no. AI and no-code are partners. They're not competitors. At ratio.dev, we use AI every single day. We integrate it into our Bubble applications. We use it to speed up our development with the, and to improve our design work. But AI is a tool within the ecosystem. It isn't, at least for today, a replacement for all of the power that a platform like Bubble gives you. And it's definitely not a replacement for being able to understand your business logic, your data architecture, your user experience. JJ talks here about building 20+ projects with AI since August, and that's awesome. And I believe him. I'm not saying that there's nothing that he's— that he— anything that he's saying isn't true. But here's what he doesn't mention: how many of those applications, those projects, are still running 6 months later? How many required a developer to come in and fix things because AI got its wires crossed? How many hit a wall when he needed to scale? I'm not knocking JJ's journey. I'm saying that there's difference between building prototypes and building businesses. So here's my position. The best choice for most startup founders, people looking to build a software business or add software to their existing business, isn't the AI route that JJ is proposing. Definitely not today. The best choice is to work with level-headed, experienced experts who understand No-code platforms. People who can build something that you can sustain, that you can grow and evolve over time, and can build these things quickly and in budget. So something where you can go in and understand the workflows if you want. You can see what's going on on the inside. And that is so valuable even today, even with all of these new AI tools. Look, I have no doubt that JJ is going to do great things. I have no doubt he's putting in the effort, and I'm sure he'll figure out the technology and build great software with AI. But the roadmap he's outlined is not for everyone, especially not for founders who want to build something that lasts. So if you want to leverage the power of no-code, the power of AI, And if you wanna build something sustainable that you actually understand, I've got something for you. I want you to go to ratio.dev and sign up for our totally free no-code resource center. Inside you'll find a list of vetted plugins that actually work and won't bog down your Bubble application, how-to videos from myself and our team, podcast episodes, books and resources, and templates that you can use right now. Just click in the link in the description, go to ratio.dev, put in your name and email, and you're in. It's completely free and we update it every single week. And if you're thinking about building something, whether it's with AI, with no-code, or with traditional developers, reach out to us at ratio.dev. We'd love to hear what you are working on, what your dream is, and maybe we can share some insights with you that will save you months of headaches and a lot of money. So thank you very much for watching. If you got value from this, please hit the like button, subscribe for more honest takes on no-code and AI, and drop us a comment. I wanna know, are you team no-code, team AI, team why not both? And I'll see you in the next one. Go build something great.
