---
schema: 1
type: term
title: '**Compound Engineering**'
description: >-
  **Compound Engineering** is an AI-native way of building software in which
  every unit of work makes the next one easier. It is organized around a cycle
  of **planning → doing work → reviewing**, with a step for capturing what
  worked and codifying it into the system, so improvements compound over time —
  hence the name.
canonical: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/compound-engineering-33073333a1bb
markdown: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/compound-engineering-33073333a1bb.md
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# \*\*Compound Engineering\*\*

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/compound-engineering-33073333a1bb

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**Compound Engineering** is an AI-native way of building software in which every unit of work makes the next one easier. It is organized around a cycle of **planning → doing work → reviewing**, with a step for capturing what worked and codifying it into the system, so improvements compound over time — hence the name.

**Compound Engineering** emerged while Kieran Klaassen was building **Cora**, Every's AI email assistant. It began as a productivity hack and became a systematic approach, now shared as a plugin used by tens of thousands of people. Kieran stresses that it is more than a tool: > They think it's just a tool, but it's actually more than a plugin. It's a new way of working — and, as Every's Austin Tedesco adds, a great **default organizer** even if you've never worked in this field before.