Momentum is the oxygen of startups. Lose it, and you suffocate. Getting it back is harder than creating it in the first place. Here’s the paradox founders hit early: Both paths kill. They just work on different timelines. Death by Hesitation Friendster is a perfect example of death by hesitation. They had the idea years…
Is AI Slowing Everyone Down?
Over the past year, we’ve all witnessed an AI gold rush. Companies of every size are racing to “adopt AI” before their competitors do, layering chatbots, content tools, and automation into their workflows. But here’s the uncomfortable question: is all of this actually making us more productive, or is AI quietly slowing us down? A…
20+ Years as a CTO: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
Being a CTO isn’t what it looks like from the outside. There are no capes, no magic formulas, and certainly no shortcuts. After more than two decades leading engineering teams, shipping products, and navigating the chaos of startups and scale-ups, I’ve realized that the real challenges and the real lessons aren’t technical. They’re human, strategic,…
Cocoa, Chocolate, and Why AI Still Can’t Discover
Imagine standing in front of a freshly picked cocoa pod. You break it open, and inside you find a pale, sticky pulp with bitter seeds. Nothing looks edible, nothing smells particularly appetizing. By every reasonable measure, this is a dead end. Yet humanity somehow didn’t stop there. Someone, centuries ago, kept experimenting, steps that made…
When to Hire Real Engineers Instead of Freelancers for Your MVP
Building a startup is a race against time. Every day you wait to ship your idea is a day your competitors could gain an edge. That’s why many founders start with freelancers or “vibe coding” to launch their MVP (Minimum Viable Product) quickly. But this fast-track approach comes with hidden risks. There comes a point…
Why “Lines of Code” Is the Wrong Way to Measure AI Productivity in Software Development
Last week, I had a conversation with another CTO that got me thinking about how we measure productivity in the age of AI-assisted software development. Here’s how it went: CTO: Right now, about 70% of our software output is generated by AI.Me: Interesting. How are you measuring that?CTO: By looking at the proportion of code…
On AI-Generated Code, Maintainability, and the Possibility of Disposable Software
Over the past two years, I’ve been using various AI-assisted tools for programming like Codeium, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and others. These tools have become part of my daily workflow. Mostly, I use them for code completion and to help me finish thoughts, suggest alternatives, or fill in repetitive boilerplate. I’m not doing anything too wild…
The AI isn’t going to be on call at 2 AM when things go down.
Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Copilot, and others are becoming a regular part of software development. Many developers use them to write boilerplate code, help with unfamiliar syntax, or even generate whole modules. On the surface, it feels like a productivity boost. The work goes faster, the PRs are opened sooner, and there’s even…
AI Isn’t Leveling the Playing Field, it’s Amplifying the Gap
We were told that AI would make development more accessible. That it would “level the playing field,” empower juniors, and help more people build great software. That’s not what I’m seeing. In reality, AI is widening the gap between junior and senior developers and fast. Seniors Are 10x-ing With AI For experienced engineers, AI tools…
May 1st, Workers’ Day: Reflecting on the Future of Developers in the Age of AI
Every May 1st, we celebrate Workers’ Day a moment to recognize the hard work, progress, and dignity of people across every profession. Traditionally, it’s a day to honor laborers, craftsmen, and knowledge workers alike. Today, in 2025, it’s worth asking: What does Workers’ Day mean for developers, engineers, and tech builders when AI is rewriting…