Nicholas Arcolano, Ph.D.
Head of AI & Research · Jellyfish
The biggest barrier to AI adoption isn't the technology — it's measurement, organizational readiness, and knowing what's actually working.
I lead Jellyfish Research, where we build AI agents and data platforms that help software engineering organizations measure and navigate AI transformation at scale. We share what we learn through published research, benchmarks, and industry events so engineering leaders can make confident, evidence-based decisions. I'm passionate about bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical value for engineering leaders.
Writing
Writing & Research
I write data-driven research on AI and software engineering for the Jellyfish blog and the Jellyfish Research Substack. Recent pieces I've authored:
- The Opus 4.7 Tokenizer TaxJellyfish Research · May 2026
- Teaching Your AI Agent Pays OffJellyfish Research · April 2026
- Is "Tokenmaxxing" Cost Effective?Jellyfish · April 2026
- The AI Divide Is Growing: What 37 Million PRs RevealJellyfish · April 2026
- Are AI Coding Tools Making Companies More Productive?Jellyfish · March 2026
Show all writing
- Is AI Finally Taming Bug Backlogs?Jellyfish Research · February 2026
- Looks Like It Really Was a Claude Christmas After AllJellyfish Research · February 2026
- AI Is Making Developers Faster — So Where's the Business Impact?Jellyfish · January 2026
- AI Coding Tools Not Paying Off? Your Code Architecture Might Be to BlameJellyfish · October 2025
- Better Code, or Just Bigger? AI-Assisted PRs Are 18% LargerJellyfish · September 2025
- Jellyfish and OpenAI Team Up to Measure the Impact of AI Coding ToolsJellyfish · August 2025
- AI Use in Engineering Up 260% Year-over-YearJellyfish · June 2025
- What Will MCP Mean for Engineering Management?Jellyfish · April 2025 · with Adam Ferrari
Press
In the Press
Selected coverage and commentary on AI and software engineering.
- The Token Bill Comes Due: Inside the Industry Scramble to Manage AI's Runaway CostsTechCrunch · June 2026
- AI "Tokenmaxxing" Fails as a Productivity StrategyBusiness Insider · May 2026
- The Shift: Productivity, at All CostsLeadDev · May 2026 · with Scott Carey
- Tokenmaxxing Is Making Developers Less Productive Than They ThinkTechCrunch · April 2026
- Jellyfish AI Development Study: The Real Sting Has Yet to LandThe New Stack · March 2026
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- AI Coding Boom: More Software Shipped, No Hit to QualityBusiness Insider · March 2026
Podcasts
Podcasts
Speaking
Talks & Speaking
Recent talks and panel discussions on AI and software engineering. Several talks are available to watch online.
Talks
- AI Benchmarks: What Jellyfish Learned from 20 Million PRsPlatform Engineering live stream · March 2026 · with Luke Stevens
- Beyond Coding Metrics: How to Scale AI for Real Business OutcomesSonar Summit · March 2026
- What Data from 20 Million Pull Requests Reveal About AI TransformationAI Engineer Code Summit · New York · November 2025
Panels
- AWS LA Breakfast PanelAmazon Web Services · Los Angeles · June 2026
- From Copilots to Agents: The New Era of Software DeliveryJellyfish & Pillar VC · Boston · March 2026
- AI in Action: Modernizing the SDLCAWS panel · East Palo Alto · February 2026
- Hack@Brown PanelBrown University · February 2026
Connect
Let's connect.
I post regularly on LinkedIn and X about AI and software engineering. For everything else, email is the best way to reach me.