Ask HN: What are you working on? (September 2026)
- ID
- 24165
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 14 Sep 2026, 1:31 AM
- Fetched
- 15 Sep 2026, 11:32 PM
- Provider
- Hacker News
- Category
- dev-community
- Original URL
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49686380
- Source URL
- https://hnrss.org/best
Summary
- Score
- 6.5
- Created
- 16 Sep 2026, 12:40 AM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersai_ml_learnerssaas_foundersvibe_coders
What happened
A statistical analysis of Hacker News 'What are you working on?' threads from 2008 to September 2026 shows project sharing volume exploded from an average of 10.2 per month in 2008 to 677 per month in 2026. AI/LLM projects have surged from 4% of the share in 2018 to 33% in 2026, overtaking developer tools (22%) as the dominant category builders are working on.
Why it matters
If you are building an AI/LLM product, you are entering the most crowded independent builder category by a widening margin. The data indicates you must differentiate beyond basic AI wrappers, as the sheer volume of competing AI projects shared monthly has scaled from hundreds to thousands.
Discussion angle
Discuss whether the explosion in AI/LLM projects (from 4% in 2018 to 33% in 2026) represents a sustainable shift in software development or a temporary bubble of thin wrappers that will consolidate.