Prototyping tools like Claude Code now serve both discovery and production, narrowing the gap between build-to-learn and build-to-earn.
The Tool Spectrum is Collapsing
Marty Cagan's recent piece on prototyping tools draws a clean line: build-to-learn tools on one side, build-to-earn tools on the other. He's right about the hype problem: product managers confusing high-fidelity prototypes with production-ready systems. But the binary he describes is already dissolving. The categorization reflects tool architecture. Lovable and Bolt for prototyping, Claude Code, and Cursor for production. UI-first tools abstract complexity and accelerate visual validation. Terminal-based tools expose code and configuration, giving engineers...
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