Not so locked in any more

2026-05-14 · Source: Simon Willison's Weblog · Field: Technology & Digital — Software Development & Engineering, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

A recent observation by Mitchell Hashimoto, echoed by a technology company's experience, suggests that programming languages are becoming less of a "lock-in" factor. This trend is exemplified by Bun's migration from Zig to Rust and a medium-sized tech company's decision to rewrite its legacy iPhone and Android applications into React Native using coding agents. The company cited React Native's significant improvements and the perceived ease of porting back to native if the decision proved suboptimal, highlighting a shift towards greater flexibility in technology stack choices. This indicates a growing confidence in the interoperability and portability of modern development tools and frameworks.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and VPs of Engineering evaluating mobile development strategies, the diminishing "lock-in" of programming languages suggests greater flexibility in technology choices. You should consider modern cross-platform frameworks like React Native, especially when supported by coding agents, as the risk of needing to revert to native platforms appears lower than in the past. This shift allows for more agile decision-making regarding your development stack.

Key insights

Programming languages and frameworks are increasingly less of a "lock-in" due to improved portability and development tools.

Principles

• Technology stacks are becoming more flexible.
• Portability reduces long-term commitment risk.

In practice

• Consider React Native for cross-platform mobile development.
• Evaluate coding agents for app rewrites.

Topics

• Programming Language Lock-in
• Cross-Platform Development
• React Native
• Mobile App Development
• Coding Agents

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, AI Product Manager, Software Engineer, AI Engineer, Director of AI/ML

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• The REAL Reason OpenClaw is TAKING OVER React — The rise of AI-driven personal assistants like OpenClaw signals a shift from operating software to systems that operate on your behalf.
• Quoting Mitchell Hashimoto — Programming languages are increasingly fungible, reducing vendor lock-in and making specific languages expendable.

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Simon Willison's Weblog.