AI and the Death of Activation Energy
AI has solved one thing in particular that most people don’t talk about. If you look past the hype cycles and the code-generation benchmarks, the true revolution of AI is actually the total collapse of friction.
The Software Engineer Weekly
Accelerate your software engineering career with weekly tips. Read by engineers at Google, Netflix, Meta, and more. Written by a Software Engineer @ Google.
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My Product Almost Died.
At the beginning of April, I hit a major milestone with my SaaS platform, Ferryman: a new MRR peak of $1,346. On social media, milestones like that look like a clean, linear rocket ship to the top. But behind the scenes, the reality of building a business is highly volatile, unpredictable, and psychologically brutal.
Your Default Answer Should Be "No"
At some point, we all face the same invisible threat: a schedule that is no longer our own. We start with a blank canvas, but very quickly, the outside world begins to chip away at it. We become a magnet for an onslaught of coffee chats, social obligations, low-impact requests, and minor tasks that dilute our energy and attention.
How to Learn in the Age of AI
We’re currently living through the most radical shift in the history of software development. Code generation models have become so frictionless that you can scaffold entire features, debug complex stack traces, and deploy apps without ever truly understanding the underlying mechanics
3 Ways to Easily Build a Strong Technical Network
When I first started creating content and building in public, I was actively against the idea of meeting other tech creators. I completely avoided it because I assumed it would just involve endless internet drama, superficial clout-chasing, and be a massive waste of energy. But, I was completely wrong.
Are Software Engineers Going Away?
Every day, my timeline is flooded with the same underlying panic: Is AI going to destroy the software engineering profession? If you look at the rapid advancement of LLMs and autonomous coding agents, it’s easy to see why people are anxious.
Min-Max Employment
This week, Meta laid off another 8,000 employees. These layoffs feel so dystopian nowadays especially since Meta employees ended up learning the exact day the massive cuts would happen. Imagine having to do your job the last few weeks knowing that thousands of people were going to be laid off by the end of the month.
How to Actually Get What You Want in Life
Most people believe that to win at a high level, you have to be the smartest, most inherently gifted person in the room. They treat success like a lottery ticket you’re either born with or you aren’t. In reality, an immense amount of alpha is sitting right in the open for anyone willing to stop competing on raw intellect and start competing on strategy, observation, and relentless focus. Here’s…
How Do I Live in the Present?
I’ve spent the last few days in a small village in the south of France, thinking about a concept I’m historically bad at: living in the present. We’re all professional worriers. We obsess over the future, worrying if our long-term goals will be met, if our ventures will succeed, or if we’ll hit the arbitrary milestones we’ve set for ourselves. But I’ve realized that any time you aren’t living in…
365 Days Ago I Left Google: 3 Lessons I've Learned in Self-Employment
One year ago today, I walked away from my Software Engineering role at Google. At the time, it felt like the riskiest move of my life. Now, looking back from the other side of 365 days of self-employment, I realize the real risk wasn’t leaving, ironically, it was staying.