AI + a16z

From Code Search to AI Agents: Inside Sourcegraph's Transformation with CTO Beyang Liu

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Nov 25, 2025
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INSIGHT

Agent-First Design Beats Model-First

  • Sourcegraph built AMP from first principles to combine LLMs with code understanding tools for large codebases.
  • The agent-first design lets AMP orchestrate subagents and tools rather than rely solely on a single model.
ANECDOTE

Dad Built An iPad Game With AMP

  • Beyang taught his non-coder father to build iPad games using AMP and the dad succeeded quickly.
  • This illustrates agents making coding accessible for hobbyists and novices.
ADVICE

Design Agents Around Behavior

  • Treat the agent as the product contract: user input maps to predictable behavior driven by model plus tooling and prompts.
  • Choose models to enable desired agent behaviors, not vice versa.
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