This high-pass filter metaphor explains why Claude Code 10x'd my output but did nothing for colleagues still writing spaghetti. Strong fundamentals = AI multiplier. Weak fundamentals = AI exposes dysfunction faster. Companies optimized for flow see throughput multiply. Feature factories hurt themselves quicker. The gap between high and low performers isn't closing—it's widening dramatically. Studies showing minimal AI benefits fail because they measure activity (lines of code) instead of business outcomes. The real story is divergence, not averages.

thoughts.jock.pl/p/clau…