I've Started Using Dumber Models on Purpose

Here's something that felt wrong at first: I've started reaching for less capable models when I'm writing code. Not because they're cheaper. Because they make me think. The Problem with Too-Capable Tools Opus 4.5 will take a half-baked prompt and ship working code. You describe a vague idea, and 30 seconds later you've got something that compiles. Magic, right? Except... did you actually think about what you were building? The risk with ultra-capable models isn't wrong code - it's skipping the part where you understand the problem. You get a solution before you've defined what you're solving. I found myself in meetings defending decisions I hadn't consciously made. "Why did you structure it this way?" Uh, because the model did, and it worked? That's a problem. Friction Is the Feature Sonnet makes you think first. When a model requires precision in your prompts, you're forced to actually articulate what you want. That articulation is the architecture work. My architecture decisions are