Peter Smith
⬤ Recent traffic data shows a striking split between AI code-generation tools and older automation platforms. Code generation tools saw a sharp recovery after dropping between June and September, with Cursor driving much of the comeback. The platform hit $1B ARR in under two years and pushed the entire category higher in daily visits.
⬤ The numbers tell the story: daily visits to AI coding tools climbed back into the multi-million range after a summer slump. Platforms like Cursor, Replit, Bolt, Tabnine, Base44, and Cognition all contributed to the surge. Traffic picked up momentum through late summer and fall, marking a clear turnaround from the earlier seasonal dip.
⬤ Meanwhile, legacy automation platforms are heading the opposite direction. Zapier, Make, N8N, and Gumloop have seen weekly traffic flatten or drop since mid-summer, with November bringing a noticeable decline. The data suggests AI advances might be pulling users away from traditional automation tools toward more intelligent, dynamic alternatives.
⬤ The growing gap between these two categories points to a real shift in how developers work. More people are gravitating toward AI-native development tools that combine code generation, smart assistance, and automation in one place. As this momentum builds, platforms built around generative AI appear to be winning the race for developer attention and reshaping productivity expectations across the tech landscape.
Peter Smith
