Back in 2013, while writing the original Marketing for Developers book, I identified my goal:
Help software developers earn an income from their projects so that they can gain more freedom and independence.
Today, in 2026, I still see lots of independent developers who want to earn revenue from the projects they create. But the ascendence of AI, LLMs, and tools like Claude Caude has definitely changed the landscape.
First, AI coding tools have made it easier to go from 0 to 1 and ship a complete product as an independent.
This means more people are building apps than ever before. It's also resulted in a bunch of "slop" software that nobody wants:
Here's what hasn't changed: there are still thousands of people looking for solutions to their problems. There is still plenty of opportunity out there for software vendors who :
- Correctly identify what people want and what they're actively searching for.
- Build a quality product that delivers on its promises.
- Reach potential customers, at scale, with their marketing.