If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?

Despite AI tools promising to revolutionize software development and productivity, software quality continues to deteriorate across consumer and enterprise products due to misaligned incentives—teams prioritize feature velocity and KPIs over stability and bug fixes, even when equipped with advanced AI capabilities. CIOs must recognize that the quality crisis reflects organizational and cultural failures rather than technical limitations, requiring a strategic shift toward quality-focused metrics and accountability to avoid accumulating technical debt while competitors race toward feature parity. This presents a critical opportunity for IT leaders to differentiate by establishing quality-first cultures and using AI productively to stabilize systems rather than merely accelerate feature development.