LLM assisted coding can get you from an idea to MVP in an evening (within maybe 1 or 2 Claude 5 hour quota windows).

I've done _so_ many of these where I go "hmm, this might be useful", planned the project with gemini/chatgpt free versions to a markdown project file and then sic Claude on it while I catch up on my shows.

Within a few prompts I've got something workable and I can determine if it was a good idea or not.

Without an LLM I never would've even tried it, I have better and more urgent things to do than code a price-watcher for very niche Blu-ray seller =)

This, for me, is the actual gain and I don't see a lot of people talking about it: it's not that I finish a project faster the LLMs. From what I've read and personally experienced, it probably takes about as long to complete a project with or without the LLMs. But the difference is, without it I spend all that time deeply engaged, unable to do anything else. With the LLMs I no longer require continuous focus. It may be the same wall-clock time but my own mental capacity is not being used at or near capacity.

This right here. It's pretty amazing tbh. I'm typing this comment while Claude churns on an idea I had...