BLOG@CACM - The Code Optimization Flywheel Won't Spin Itself

My opinion piece The Code Optimization Flywheel Won’t Spin Itself is live on BLOG@CACM. On SWE-bench Verified, the top agent resolves 79.20% issues. On GSO, a benchmark of optimization tasks, the best system reaches 47.1% Opt@1. I argue that the second number will not climb the way the first one did. Every repository already contains a reward for correctness. The test suite sets the target, tells an agent when it gets closer, and says when to stop. However, a request for speed gives only a timer.