The “size” of a coding task is not intrinsic to the task. It exists between tasks in the graph of their relationships. That graph is mostly hidden and changes over time. This is why estimating software work is so hard, and why AI doesn’t magically fix it.

— @whusterj, January 30, 2026

Connections

• Verification Complexity - The “unit of work” and LLM complexity collapse sections directly connect: hidden task relationships create the exponential complexity that LLMs struggle with.