[mechagodzilla]

But it didn’t really “replace” anyone in this case - you started a new company that might never have existed, and it might only be economically viable because you didn’t need to hire those people. Voila! We have a net increase in employment thanks to ChatGPT.

[simonmesmith]

I think that's a great point. Though now we need to determine whether the result is a company that wouldn't otherwise exist, or a company that would exist but with lower profit margins. Also, would be good to know if this new company can undercut competition, which would likely mean that competitors had to find similar efficiencies.

[bitshaker]

It was certainly economically viable without LLM help, but the fact that I didn’t have to give up equity, get a loan, or use substantial amounts of my own funds to get it done at what would normally be a longer timeline to boot seems like a loss for some bankers and some freelancers or cofounders I would have needed otherwise.

I do agree that I’m creating something from whole cloth here so it’s not technically replacement as I haven’t let anyone go, but I’m going with the spirit of the question here.