Quoted a client $43k to refactor their AI-built MVP. They did $11k MRR in 6weeks

Quoted a client $43k to refactor their AI-built MVP. They got to $11k MRR in 6 weeks. Startup built their entire SaaS using Cursor over one weekend. Stripe subscriptions, auth, admin dashboard - all working. Hit $11k MRR within 6 weeks. Then they tried to hire a second dev. Codebase is 100% copy-paste. Same webhook handler 8 times. Zero reusable code. New dev quoted 4 weeks just to understand it. This matches what GitClear found - code churn hit 7% in 2025 (highest recorded). We're adding code 3x faster but reusing 80% less. Google's DORA report showed 25% more AI usage = 7.2% less delivery stability. The math: Build MVP in one weekend → $11k MRR in 6 weeks → $43k + 4 weeks to make it maintainable. Not saying don't use AI. But spending 20 minutes on architecture first (literally just boxes and arrows) saves $40k later. AI is incredible at implementation, terrible at architecture. Resources: GitClear 2025 Report, Google DORA 2024, MIT Sloan on AI Coding Costs If you're planning to build with AI and want to avoid this, happy to chat architecture - meir avimelec davidov on LinkedIn Founder & CEO gliltech software