Nicholas Carlini Builds Rust-Based C Compiler

Anthropic researcher Nicholas Carlini used sixteen Claude Opus 4.6 agents to build a Rust-based C compiler from scratch over about two weeks, running roughly 2,000 sessions and incurring approximately $20,000 in API costs. The resulting 100k-line compiler compiles Linux 6.9 across x86, ARM, and RISC-V, passes 99% of GCC's torture tests, and provoked debate about autonomous agent coordination and software development roles.