Ryan Cooke argues that counting AI-generated pull requests can conceal whether a software factory helps a team deliver useful features. WorkOS's initial sandbox and coding-agent setup did not produce a clear improvement over engineers using coding agents locally, so the team began encoding more of its product engineering process into the system.
WorkOS separates TARS, which connects users and project activity across Slack, Linear, and GitHub, from Horizon, which orchestrates coding infrastructure. Dependency-aware tickets, a reviewed project brief called a hilltop document, and a planning agent let the system draft work, respond to approvals, and pick up later tasks while engineers remain able to refine scope and intervene.
Ryan Cooke describes an internal context engine that uses an MCP gateway to guide agents through company tools and data. He presents bug triage, support requests, durable organizational memory, and factory self-improvement as uses or next steps, while proposing customer delivery, defect rates, recovery time, and engineer adoption as more meaningful measures.
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