AI Agent Teams Complete 3-Week Coding Project in 37 Minutes as Axios Cuts Tech Staff in Half While Doubling Output

Feb 18, 2026
Axios
Article image for AI Agent Teams Complete 3-Week Coding Project in 37 Minutes as Axios Cuts Tech Staff in Half While Doubling Output

Summary

Axios slashes its tech team in half from 90 to 43 employees while doubling output, as AI agent teams complete coding projects in 37 minutes that previously took three weeks, forcing software companies to adapt to unprecedented development speeds.

Key Points

  • Axios CTO Dan Cox reports that an engineer completed a project in 37 minutes using AI agent teams that previously took three weeks, demonstrating AI's dramatic impact on coding productivity
  • Axios has reduced its product and tech team from 90 to 43 people over two years while more than doubling output, with the 12-month technical backlog expected to be eliminated within months
  • Software companies are moving to shorter contracts as AI makes custom development cheaper, with the main challenge shifting from code velocity to managing how fast humans can adapt to rapid changes

Tags

Read Original Article