AI Didn't Make the CTO Job Harder. It Made the Expectations Fictional.
AI in the hands of a senior practitioner is a multiplier. Everywhere else it is a liability.
Tim Maliyil's Substack
Straight talk on building and scaling tech startups — from a founder who's done it. Real lessons from growing companies to $40M ARR, closing a Series A, and building PerkyPet AI. No theory. No fluff. Just what actually works.
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Latest posts
A Tribute to My Father
Life is not fair
In AI, Trust Is the Moat. Our Customers Just Told Us So.
What 1,250 pet parents taught me about building AI people will actually act on.
The AI Era’s Real Failure Mode Isn’t Bad Technology. It’s Building Things Nobody Wants.
Desire tells you almost nothing. Effort tells you everything.
August is National Dog Month, Caring Well Looks Different Than We Think
What a hospital room, a happier cat, and thirty years of building companies taught me about showing up.
What My Mother's Dog Taught Me About the Weight Pet Parents Carry
Why pet parent mental health belongs in the wellness conversation, and why we are building PerkyPet around it
Why "Move Fast and Break Things" Should Be Illegal in Health Tech
What three weeks in a hospital room reinforced about my methodology
Hire Slowly, Fire Quickly Is Right. Almost Everyone Reads It Wrong.
Hire rigorously, not sluggishly. Fire to protect your best people, not to punish your worst.
Your TAM Slide Is Lying to You
The Math Is Easy. The Engine Is Hard.
Stop Calling Them Design Partners. They're Not.
Your Roadmap Is Not a Charity
5 Things Cybersecurity Taught Me About Building Trust With Pet Parents
Trust isn't a brand exercise. It's an engineering discipline.