Who is building software factories?
A short list of people who have published how they build or think about it. Read them in their own words.
How this list works. Entries are here because they have published a public account of their approach, including one that argues against lights-out factories. Inclusion is not endorsement, we have not audited anyone's claims, and nothing here describes a client relationship. Summaries are ours; follow the link for theirs.
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StrongDM
Published field notes, in February 2026, on building software with agents where humans neither write nor review the code, using specifications, scenarios and behavioral replicas of external services.
Software Factories and the Agentic Moment ↗ -
Factory
Described, in April 2026, a "Missions" architecture that splits large projects into narrow units handled by fresh agents with shared state and validation kept separate from implementation.
How Missions Work ↗ -
Dan Shapiro
Proposed a five-level model of AI-assisted development whose Level 5 is the "Dark Factory," the framing much of the current vocabulary descends from.
The Five Levels ↗ -
Addy Osmani
Argued, in July 2026, that autonomy has two separate dimensions, agency and orchestration, and that verification should set the autonomy level.
Agentic Autonomy Levels ↗ -
HumanLayer
Argued the opposite case: that lights-off factories erode maintainability, and that humans should stay in design and read the code.
Why Software Factories Fail ↗ -
Dark Factory Dev
Tracks the field continuously, with a glossary, a factory map of 21 capability areas, and twice-daily ranked news on autonomous software production.
In the News ↗
Earlier factories
The historical factories, from Hitachi and System Development Corporation to Toshiba, NEC, Fujitsu and Microsoft's patterns & practices group, are covered with sources on the history page.
Keeping current
This list is deliberately short and changes slowly. For new accounts as they are published, Dark Factory Dev's In the News ranks the week's developments with commentary. If you have published an account of your own factory, the editors there want to read it.