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Weekly Reflection #33 - On Zero Token Architecture
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Each week, I share one insight. One piece of wisdom. One question to reflect on. (and a little Lagniappe) InsightAt PlatformCon 2026, Kelsey Hightower gave a talk titled ZTA: Zero Token Architecture (a name he admits isn't really a thing, but it sort of is now, isn't it?). The whole idea comes down to: don't outsource your ability to think, just because these tools exist. One of his examples involves working with database tables. Someone teaches an AI agent to build one, then asks it to build another, and another, burning inference every time to do the same job. Kelsey asks a question to the effect of: why not use the agent once to write the tool that builds the table, then run that tool for pennies forever? We already do this everywhere else. You cache an expensive query in Redis. You compile source into a binary. You spend a lot up front and reuse the result cheaply. We've been doing this amazingly well for decades. Why should an agent be the exception? In the end, none of this is really about tokens. The expensive part of any hard problem is the thinking, and we have to do the thinking up front. Then, we transform that thinking into something that can be executed over and over again. In life, this might be a checklist, a template, a small tool, a habit. Do the thinking up front, then export it. Stop paying full price (or multiples of full price) for work you've already done. WisdomCivilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking about them.
Alfred North Whitehead, An Introduction to Mathematics
ReflectionWhat have you solved once that you keep solving again? Lagniappe
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Weekly Reflections Newsletter
Practical insights on platform engineering, developer experience, and building teams that ship. Each issue is written to be useful, actionable, and applicable. No filler, no promotions-only emails. Enter your email and sign up for free right now.
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