What a User Story Actually Costs in a Dark Code Factory
Autonomous SDLC framework test (Mar-Jul 2026) reveals critical insights: v1 lacked data tracking; v2 improved cost monitoring. 595.7M tokens delivered 77 stories (~$10.88 each). Cache reads = 95.4% of usage. 13% rework rate signals quality issues. Monthly subscriptions beat usage pricing for now, but future rate changes threaten smaller firms. Better measurement systems needed.
https://www.oreilly.com/radar/what-a-user-story-actually-costs-in-a-dark-code-factory/
O’Reilly MediaWhat a User Story Actually Costs in a Dark Code FactoryBetween March and July 2026, I built a production application of 861,601 lines of code. This included 696 user stories and 779 merged pull requests over 105