# The Beginnings of an Idea: XP is Long Volatility

DevFeed: [The Beginnings of an Idea: XP is Long Volatility](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-beginnings-of-an-idea-xp-is-long-volatility-39983.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://newsletter.kentbeck.com/p/the-beginnings-of-an-idea-xp-is-long>)

Author: Kent Beck

Published: 2026-07-14T13:58:56Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Software Design: Tidy First?](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/software-design-tidy-first.md>)

Topics: [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [Large Language Model](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/llm.md>)

Tags: [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [ideas](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ideas.md>), [llms](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llms.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [software-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-development.md>)

## AI overview

Kent Beck introduces the idea of XP as "long volatility," connecting it to long-baked ideas and his efforts to find constructive ways to describe the tension between adding software features and improving structure. He also outlines how he develops and explains ideas such as 3X and uses analogies involving LLMs.

## Source excerpt

What does this mean?