> the AI-assisted version could have been deployed 10x faster.

Prove it.

> as someone who has spent more than 20 years honing their craft

Proving it should be exceptionally easy. So.. why haven't you done it? Why is it always prognostication about what AI "could" do and never what it "actually did for me?"

> but do people realize that code is just a means to an end?

They do. They also might realize that your post is just a means to an end. Is it actually a genuine question or something else entirely?

> I’ll probably make a lot of enemies by saying this, but do people realize that code is just a means to an end?

Do you realize not everyone shares the values that caused you to say this?