Things I Believe

22nd October 2025

Shipping fast beats the best strategy

  • Speed is a superpower.
  • Create a bias toward shipping.
  • Small teams ship faster.
  • AI-native teams will move 10x faster than those not willing to change.
  • Landings > launches (product adoption > shipping code).
  • Listen, build, ship, tell the customer, then repeat forever.

You have no career ceiling

  • Grit > talent.
  • There’s no substitute for putting in the hours.
  • Get 1% better every day.

Be ruthlessly truth seeking

  • The truth can be painful.
  • You can just change your mind if wrong.
  • Have strong opinions, loosely held.
  • Maximize your exposure hours.
  • "Anecdata" > data.
  • Seek the collective truth, not just one opinion.

Communication is the job

  • Clear writing is clear thinking.
  • Everyone needs to become a better writer.
  • Leaders step up to provide clarity when absent.
  • Be the person taking notes, even if it’s just for yourself.
  • Mismatched expectations lead to sadness.
  • Slack pro tip: anticipate objections before hitting send, then address them.

Education is the best form of developer marketing

  • Be authentic and own your failures.
  • Never use the word "webinar" ever again.
  • Being helpful compounds.

Leadership means owning outcomes beyond the org chart

  • Influence > titles.
  • Leaders have to do the work themselves and delegate.
  • You can write your own playbook.
  • Study what worked for others, then take your own path.

Work can also be your hobby

  • This doesn’t mean you can’t have other hobbies.
  • Passion + boundaries > mythical "work-life balance".
  • Your best work comes from following your curiosity.

Demos > memos

  • You could have built a prototype in v0 during the meeting.
  • Only ship things you're excited about yourself.

Hiring is what separates good leaders from great

  • There are two hiring answers: hell yes or no.
  • Growth potential > current skill.
  • Hire people you can learn from.
  • Hire people you would someday be happy working for.
  • Favorite interview question: what work are you most proud of?

Always try to assume good intent

  • Lead with empathy.
  • They might just be having a bad day.
  • Criticism is good feedback if you listen unemotionally.