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Stack overflow is almost dead - The Pragmatic Engineer

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Four months ago, we asked Are LLMs making Stack Overflow irrelevant? Data at the time suggested that the answer is likely "yes:" Since then, things at Stack Overflow went from bad to worse. The volume of questions asked has nearly dried up, new data shows: This graph was shared by Marc Gravell, a top 10 all-time contributor to Stack Overflow. Let’s look closer at the data: You can run the full query to get the data here. A few things stand out: In January, I asked if LLMs are making Stack Overflow irrelevant. We now have an answer, and sadly, it’s a “yes.” The question seems to be when Stack Overflow will wind down operations, or the owner sells the site for comparative pennies, not if it will happen. Even without LLMs, it’s possible StackOverflow would have eventually faded into irrelevance – perhaps driven by moderation policy changes or something else that started in 2014. LLMs have certainly accelerated its fall. It's a true shame for a site that helped so many developers get "unst

Before we start: I'm hosting the first-ever The Pragmatic Summit on 11 February, 2026, in San Francisco. Join 400 top engineers and leaders as we answer the question: How is AI reshaping software engineering, dev workflows, and the modern engineering stack? Spaces are limited - don't miss out! Buy tickets here . --> Originally published in The Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter . Four months ago, we asked Are LLMs making Stack Overflow irrelevant? Data at the time suggested that the answer is likely "yes:" Number of questions asked per month on StackOverflow. Data source: this Gist Since then, thin

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