The State of Software Development – February 2025 (along with some predictions)
AI is coding, low-code is empowering, security threats are lurking in the shadows and predictions for the rest of 2025
The software industry is moving fast. Welcome to 2025, where developers write less code, ship faster, and worry more about what AI might be sneaking into their pull requests. Some of this, we’ve seen coming. But let’s break down what’s truly new and surprising.
AI: From Assistant to Co-Developer (No Surprise Here)
AI is no longer a sidekick; it’s taking on real coding tasks. Google now credits AI agents for 25% of its codebase, and Fortune 500 companies are following suit. AI-assisted coding speeds up development by 30–40%, reduces technical debt, and automates legacy system upgrades.
But before you let AI refactor your entire codebase, remember: human oversight still matters—unless you enjoy debugging hallucinations. We've talked about AI's rise before, but what’s different now? AI is no longer a luxury—it’s mandatory.
Low-Code/No-Code: Power to the People (Still Has Limits)
Low-code isn’t new, and we’ve discussed its growth before. But what’s changing is its adoption by enterprise-level teams. Big businesses are no longer skeptical, integrating low-code into mission-critical applications.
The catch? Scalability and security remain headaches. Expect hybrid models where low-code tools handle the easy stuff while full-stack engineers ensure it doesn’t collapse under real-world traffic. Gartner warns that 40% of low-code projects will hit a wall by 2026—so choose your battles wisely.
DevOps Grows Up (We've Seen This Coming)
GitOps is the new normal, reducing deployment errors by 60%. DevSecOps isn’t optional anymore—security scans are baked into every stage of the pipeline, thanks to growing regulatory pressure.
Microservices continue to dominate, and serverless computing is surging for event-driven workloads. If you’re still manually deploying to production, we need to talk. What’s new?
The level of automation and security integration is reaching unprecedented heights, making manual intervention nearly obsolete.
Predictions for the Rest of 2025 (And This is Where it Gets Interesting)
🚀 AI Will Redefine Developer Roles (More Than We Thought) – By Q4, AI will handle up to 50% of routine coding. We expected AI to take over menial tasks, but now it’s actively shaping workflows, pushing developers into strategic and architectural roles.
AI isn’t just assisting; it’s changing how we define development itself.
⚡ Enterprise-Grade Low-Code Becomes Inevitable – We knew low-code was gaining traction, but now it’s getting serious security layers, making it viable even for regulated industries.
The rise of “fusion teams” (low-code devs + full-stack engineers) is a game-changer.
🔒 Security Becomes a KPI (No Longer Just a Concern) – Software supply chain attacks are up 200% since 2023, so “shift-left security” is no longer a buzzword—it’s mandatory. AI-powered vulnerability detection is becoming a part of every pull request, and zero-trust architectures are the default.
This shift is bigger than expected.
🧑💻 Quantum Computing Inches Closer (Faster Than We Thought) – We assumed quantum computing was still in the distant future, but major cloud providers now offer quantum simulators.
This isn’t just theoretical anymore—companies are actively preparing for quantum-resistant encryption.
🌱 Sustainable Software Development (Now with Real Numbers) – We mentioned green coding before, but the numbers are now clear. By 2026, half of new applications will include sustainability metrics, and Microsoft’s Carbon Aware SDK is gaining real traction.
The environmental impact of software is officially part of development priorities.
The Bottom Line
Yes, we saw many of these trends coming—but the speed and depth of these shifts are surprising. AI is no longer an option, low-code is breaking into enterprise, and security isn’t just a concern—it’s a metric. The future belongs to those who can adapt, leverage AI, and stay ahead of the unexpected.