Tools for progress #48
Design in the age of AI, Talent densities, Managing burnout
We (humans) read hundreds of articles on company building, angel investing, and self-management and curate the best ones into a weekly summary—helping founders and operators stay on the top of their game.
Better thinking
Design for the AI age (4 minute read)
Chat interfaces have become the dominant form of AI-native software. These make design really hard — it’s hard to optimize a user journey when there’s quite literally infinite ways a user could prompt the product, and therefore, infinite user paths. Karri from Linear explores what design might look like in the age of AI. Hint: probably a lot like traditional software UI.
Compliance is the new American dream (13 minute read)
There’s a lot of mimetic compliance happening in the West - this article looks specifically at the States. Everyone conforms to the norm. One example is college students ditching humanities degrees for computer science out of fear of employment prospects. Another is how congress members, despite having the authority to, fail to step up in a trade war. Is fearful compliance at a high?
On talent and topology (8 minute read)
Europe has plenty of tech talent but lacks a true innovation hub because everyone’s playing small ball in their home countries. The article breaks down how America’s tech magic comes from outsiders gathering in one place (San Francisco), while Europeans stay stuck in cultural comfort zones. European founders need to ditch the “Silicon Dresden” and “Isar Valley” nonsense and just pick ONE city to build in together. Without this centralization, ambitious Europeans will keep booking one-way tickets to California instead of building their own future.
Operational tactics
A practical guide to building agents (12 minute read)
OpenAI’s guide outlines three foundational components: the model powering decision-making, tools for interacting with external systems, and clear instructions defining behavior. For companies actively exploring agents, this guide provides the essential knowledge to build systems that deliver real business value through intelligent automations.
You should probably form a monetisation council (6 minute read)
AI is reshaping business models. Yours is probably going to be outdated soon, largely because nobody really owns monetization decisions. Given how fast things are moving, that should probably change. Form a council (it could just be you and your co-founders), put a meeting in the diary (every month, or quarter at least), and discuss pricing.
How to communicate as you scale (12 minute read)
Once you pass 50 employees, communication breaks down in surprising ways. Information that used to flow naturally now gets lost in the noise, leaving team members building completely different things. This article lays out the systems you need — from structured all-hands meetings to dedicated announcement channels to consistent decision-sharing processes.
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Angel investing
The operator-VC trap (1 minute read)
Yesterday’s startup experience expires quickly in today’s hyperspeed tech world. The skills that made you valuable decay faster than you think. The best operator-VCs stay humble, recognize when their advice is outdated, and keep building stuff to maintain their edge instead of resting on past glories.
How VCs are making bets (5 minute read)
Turns out VCs who once swore “we never back competitors” are now happily investing in multiple AI companies fighting for the same turf. What changed? Money, lots of it. As firms grew from managing billions to tens of billions, they’ve morphed from boutique VCs making careful singular bets into asset managers spreading cash across entire sectors.
Models aren’t moats (11 minute read)
There’s a lot of noise in the market, try to look past the billion-dollar valuations and zero revenue. This piece breaks down what actually creates lasting value — talent clusters that attract the best people, standout brands everyone recognizes, and data feedback loops that make products smarter while competitors play catch-up. If you’re a later stage investor, just focus on these things and you’re likely going to find the best long term bets.
Managing your career
A software engineers guide to burnout (3 minute read)
A dev who’s hit the wall shares what actually works to bounce back from burnout. The secret sauce is a daily happiness formula that’s surprisingly simple: move your body, get outside, finish something meaningful, and talk to actual humans. Plus, create more than you scroll, and remember you’re just a “meatstick on a giant rock” hurtling through space, nothing’s really that serious.
There’s no such thing as a generalist (11 minute read)
The whole “generalist vs. specialist” debate misses the point. Everyone’s actually a specialist in something, just not always in ways that fit into neat job titles. This piece shows how to identify your true specialty by finding where your talents and energy overlap, then how to explain that value to others. Stop trying to fit in boxes people create and start naming the specific problems you’re uniquely built to solve.
Vibe Coding is not an excuse for low-quality work (12 minute read)
AI coding tools can crank out tons of code fast, but without human oversight, you’re building a house of cards. The article breaks down how to use these tools responsibly. In short - treat AI like an eager but inexperienced junior dev who needs supervision. Used right, AI handles the grunt work while you maintain quality through good engineering practices and your experienced human judgment.