The 70% AI productivity myth: why most companies aren't seeing the gains

While AI vendors claim 70-90% productivity gains for developers, independent research reveals a stark disconnect between marketing promises and reality, with one study showing experienced engineers actually became 19% slower using AI tools despite believing they were faster. These transformative gains only materialize for about 10% of the industry—primarily AI-native startups and greenfield projects—while most enterprises struggle with legacy systems, lengthy learning curves, and integration complexities that vendors rarely address.