Quoted a client $43k to refactor their AI-built MVP. They did $11k MRR in 6weeks Quoted a client $43k to refactor their AI-built MVP. They got to $11k MRR in 6 weeks.
Startup built their entire SaaS using Cursor over one weekend. Stripe subscriptions, auth, admin dashboard - all working. Hit $11k MRR within 6 weeks.
Then they tried to hire a second dev. Codebase is 100% copy-paste. Same webhook handler 8 times. Zero reusable code. New dev quoted 4 weeks just to understand it.
This matches what GitClear found - code churn hit 7% in 2025 (highest recorded). We're adding code 3x faster but reusing 80% less. Google's DORA report showed 25% more AI usage = 7.2% less delivery stability.
The math: Build MVP in one weekend → $11k MRR in 6 weeks → $43k + 4 weeks to make it maintainable.
Not saying don't use AI. But spending 20 minutes on architecture first (literally just boxes and arrows) saves $40k later. AI is incredible at implementation, terrible at architecture.
Resources: GitClear 2025 Report, Google DORA 2024, MIT Sloan on AI Coding Costs
If you're planning to build with AI and want to avoid this, happy to chat architecture - meir avimelec davidov on LinkedIn
Founder & CEO gliltech software |