JavaScript, Agentic Coding, and Harsh Reality [ukr]

Talking about something abstract is easy and fun — you can sound smart, and no one can really verify your claims because, well, it’s abstract. In a world where every other person is now an “AI visionary,” I want to talk about AI in a максимально concrete way, using my work at GitLab as a real example. It’s the perfect case: while many describe a world of pink ponies — greenfield projects built from scratch — I want to share the hardcore brownfield reality: what actually happens when you introduce AI into a project that has existed for years.

We’ll cover:

- How AI and JavaScript get along (or, more accurately, don’t)

- My setup and “secret sauce” for agentic development

- What I’ve achieved together with Opus (my favorite model)

- How much JavaScript code I still write by hand

- What prevents us from reaching the mythical 10x productivity — and what I’m doing about it

I hope that after this case study, everyone walks away with a clear understanding of what they can implement in their own project to improve their workflow — starting right now.