Pawel Brodzinski
@pawelbrodzinski.bsky.social
Leader of an org where anyone can make any decision (Lunar Logic).
Doing anything that no one else wants to do.
A mouthful on product development, org design, lean/agile, IT in general.
Doing anything that no one else wants to do.
A mouthful on product development, org design, lean/agile, IT in general.
One has to love Hacker News.
"I haven't read this article but it's low quality and full of errors."
I think this comment might have a basic error in it, perhaps.
"I haven't read this article but it's low quality and full of errors."
I think this comment might have a basic error in it, perhaps.
November 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
One has to love Hacker News.
"I haven't read this article but it's low quality and full of errors."
I think this comment might have a basic error in it, perhaps.
"I haven't read this article but it's low quality and full of errors."
I think this comment might have a basic error in it, perhaps.
Reposted by Pawel Brodzinski
When I'm reading posts about software development, I have to keep reminding myself that the best devs are usually well aware of their limitations, and the worst often aren't.
November 23, 2025 at 4:14 PM
When I'm reading posts about software development, I have to keep reminding myself that the best devs are usually well aware of their limitations, and the worst often aren't.
Double diamond is a standard for ideation/discovery work in product dev.
As we use it, I realize that, despite its openness, it primes us to stick with the original idea, whatever it was.
There are/should be multiple double diamonds at the same time.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/build-buil...
As we use it, I realize that, despite its openness, it primes us to stick with the original idea, whatever it was.
There are/should be multiple double diamonds at the same time.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/build-buil...
"Build, Build, Build" Is As Intutive As It Is Wrong
We intuitively fall for the build myth—the advice that efficiency of development is a critical factor in achieving product success. In reality, it's a source of huge waste in product development.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Double diamond is a standard for ideation/discovery work in product dev.
As we use it, I realize that, despite its openness, it primes us to stick with the original idea, whatever it was.
There are/should be multiple double diamonds at the same time.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/build-buil...
As we use it, I realize that, despite its openness, it primes us to stick with the original idea, whatever it was.
There are/should be multiple double diamonds at the same time.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/build-buil...
Musk: AI and human robotics will eliminate poverty and make everyone wealthy.
Me: Yeah, true. Once it eliminates humans, there will literally be no poverty, and "everyone" will be wealthy.
😂
Me: Yeah, true. Once it eliminates humans, there will literally be no poverty, and "everyone" will be wealthy.
😂
November 21, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Musk: AI and human robotics will eliminate poverty and make everyone wealthy.
Me: Yeah, true. Once it eliminates humans, there will literally be no poverty, and "everyone" will be wealthy.
😂
Me: Yeah, true. Once it eliminates humans, there will literally be no poverty, and "everyone" will be wealthy.
😂
Shopify's ARR per employee soared thanks to AI. They have 30% fewer employees and doubled the revenue.
Yeah...
Except they fired 30% of people in 2022-23, before showing anything AI.
They'd be so much better off if they avoided overrecruitment in the first place. It has nothing to do with AI.
Yeah...
Except they fired 30% of people in 2022-23, before showing anything AI.
They'd be so much better off if they avoided overrecruitment in the first place. It has nothing to do with AI.
November 13, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Shopify's ARR per employee soared thanks to AI. They have 30% fewer employees and doubled the revenue.
Yeah...
Except they fired 30% of people in 2022-23, before showing anything AI.
They'd be so much better off if they avoided overrecruitment in the first place. It has nothing to do with AI.
Yeah...
Except they fired 30% of people in 2022-23, before showing anything AI.
They'd be so much better off if they avoided overrecruitment in the first place. It has nothing to do with AI.
"AI art is an interesting technology because despite its growing popularity, nobody seems to want it.
Artists hate using it. Consumers hate consuming it. And yet it thrives."
theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
by @theoatmeal.bsky.social
Artists hate using it. Consumers hate consuming it. And yet it thrives."
theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
by @theoatmeal.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 11:25 AM
"AI art is an interesting technology because despite its growing popularity, nobody seems to want it.
Artists hate using it. Consumers hate consuming it. And yet it thrives."
theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
by @theoatmeal.bsky.social
Artists hate using it. Consumers hate consuming it. And yet it thrives."
theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
by @theoatmeal.bsky.social
Few things speak "we don't even read these comments" as loud as leaving an open question in the feedback form and limiting it to like 200 characters.
Good job, Spotify!
Fortunately, I got some nice tunes as thanks... xD
Good job, Spotify!
Fortunately, I got some nice tunes as thanks... xD
November 12, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Few things speak "we don't even read these comments" as loud as leaving an open question in the feedback form and limiting it to like 200 characters.
Good job, Spotify!
Fortunately, I got some nice tunes as thanks... xD
Good job, Spotify!
Fortunately, I got some nice tunes as thanks... xD
Pro tip 1: If escalation is the only way to get competent customer support, people will escalate.
Pro tip 2: If you escalate only when people are assholes to your consultants, they will act like assholes to get help.
Pro tip 2: If you escalate only when people are assholes to your consultants, they will act like assholes to get help.
November 9, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Pro tip 1: If escalation is the only way to get competent customer support, people will escalate.
Pro tip 2: If you escalate only when people are assholes to your consultants, they will act like assholes to get help.
Pro tip 2: If you escalate only when people are assholes to your consultants, they will act like assholes to get help.
AI support:
Me: Stop resetting my password every other week
AI: Here's how you can reset your password
Me: I want to talk to a human
AI: What do you want to do next?
Me: Talk to a human
AI: Do you want to talk to a human?
Me: Yes
Once I get to talk to a human, I'm gonna be pissed off, guaranteed.
Me: Stop resetting my password every other week
AI: Here's how you can reset your password
Me: I want to talk to a human
AI: What do you want to do next?
Me: Talk to a human
AI: Do you want to talk to a human?
Me: Yes
Once I get to talk to a human, I'm gonna be pissed off, guaranteed.
November 9, 2025 at 1:59 PM
AI support:
Me: Stop resetting my password every other week
AI: Here's how you can reset your password
Me: I want to talk to a human
AI: What do you want to do next?
Me: Talk to a human
AI: Do you want to talk to a human?
Me: Yes
Once I get to talk to a human, I'm gonna be pissed off, guaranteed.
Me: Stop resetting my password every other week
AI: Here's how you can reset your password
Me: I want to talk to a human
AI: What do you want to do next?
Me: Talk to a human
AI: Do you want to talk to a human?
Me: Yes
Once I get to talk to a human, I'm gonna be pissed off, guaranteed.
If you develop a popup window to fill in a confirmation code, make sure you set focus on the entry field.
There. You literally save a few seconds for just about any user for just about as many times as they're forced to interact with the form.
Literally, 10s of work. No AI needed. Thank you.
There. You literally save a few seconds for just about any user for just about as many times as they're forced to interact with the form.
Literally, 10s of work. No AI needed. Thank you.
November 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
If you develop a popup window to fill in a confirmation code, make sure you set focus on the entry field.
There. You literally save a few seconds for just about any user for just about as many times as they're forced to interact with the form.
Literally, 10s of work. No AI needed. Thank you.
There. You literally save a few seconds for just about any user for just about as many times as they're forced to interact with the form.
Literally, 10s of work. No AI needed. Thank you.
Vibe-coded app. Authorization.
"Add localhost:3000/auth/linkedi... to authorized redirect URLs"
It is "works well on my machine" of the AI era :D
"Add localhost:3000/auth/linkedi... to authorized redirect URLs"
It is "works well on my machine" of the AI era :D
November 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Vibe-coded app. Authorization.
"Add localhost:3000/auth/linkedi... to authorized redirect URLs"
It is "works well on my machine" of the AI era :D
"Add localhost:3000/auth/linkedi... to authorized redirect URLs"
It is "works well on my machine" of the AI era :D
"Unlike 1999, tech’s profits justify the premium."
Are these profits coming from AI? Save for hardware vendors, which AI wave made fly, what profits are we talking about?
And what happens to Nvidia when it's suddenly clear that OpenAI isn't on a path to profitability?
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Are these profits coming from AI? Save for hardware vendors, which AI wave made fly, what profits are we talking about?
And what happens to Nvidia when it's suddenly clear that OpenAI isn't on a path to profitability?
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
November 3, 2025 at 8:01 PM
"Unlike 1999, tech’s profits justify the premium."
Are these profits coming from AI? Save for hardware vendors, which AI wave made fly, what profits are we talking about?
And what happens to Nvidia when it's suddenly clear that OpenAI isn't on a path to profitability?
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Are these profits coming from AI? Save for hardware vendors, which AI wave made fly, what profits are we talking about?
And what happens to Nvidia when it's suddenly clear that OpenAI isn't on a path to profitability?
substack.com/inbox/post/1...
Just thought about it: an LLM is playing One Word Story except all the players are the LLM.
bbbpress.com/2013/01/one-...
bbbpress.com/2013/01/one-...
Drama Game: One Word Story - Beat by Beat Press
Type: Warm-up. Purpose: To work as a team. To work on focus. Materials: A big enough space for the entire class to sit in a circle comfortably. Procedure: Players sit in a circle. One person says a ...
bbbpress.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Just thought about it: an LLM is playing One Word Story except all the players are the LLM.
bbbpress.com/2013/01/one-...
bbbpress.com/2013/01/one-...
Hype wave versus reality.
Upon seeing the chart, I was like:
* Your ARR is not annual (can't be yet)
* Nor is it recurring (can't know yet)
After 10s research (literally clicking the links):
* It's also fake
* And scam
Check your sources, people!
Upon seeing the chart, I was like:
* Your ARR is not annual (can't be yet)
* Nor is it recurring (can't know yet)
After 10s research (literally clicking the links):
* It's also fake
* And scam
Check your sources, people!
November 3, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Hype wave versus reality.
Upon seeing the chart, I was like:
* Your ARR is not annual (can't be yet)
* Nor is it recurring (can't know yet)
After 10s research (literally clicking the links):
* It's also fake
* And scam
Check your sources, people!
Upon seeing the chart, I was like:
* Your ARR is not annual (can't be yet)
* Nor is it recurring (can't know yet)
After 10s research (literally clicking the links):
* It's also fake
* And scam
Check your sources, people!
"We haven't yet shown a single dollar of profit, but we're already too big to fail."
Welcome to 2025.
What do you not understand?
Welcome to 2025.
What do you not understand?
November 3, 2025 at 8:37 AM
"We haven't yet shown a single dollar of profit, but we're already too big to fail."
Welcome to 2025.
What do you not understand?
Welcome to 2025.
What do you not understand?
Here's my little experiment on how proliferated LinkedIn is with automatic AI bots. I would appreciate sharing and/or reacting to it to increase its range:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Thank you in advance.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Thank you in advance.
One of the most valuable aspects of an organizational culture is what I call an experimentation mindset. It's about being open and willing to continuously try things and learn from the process.
O...
One of the most valuable aspects of an organizational culture is what I call an experimentation mindset. It's about being open and willing to continuously try things and learn from the process.
Or in...
www.linkedin.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Here's my little experiment on how proliferated LinkedIn is with automatic AI bots. I would appreciate sharing and/or reacting to it to increase its range:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Thank you in advance.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Thank you in advance.
@kentbeck.com's post (substack.com/inbox/post/1...) reminded me about my own "disastrous failure" story.
In the end, our clients just ended up with a bit of extra work. Nothing too serious.
In the end, our clients just ended up with a bit of extra work. Nothing too serious.
October 30, 2025 at 5:15 PM
@kentbeck.com's post (substack.com/inbox/post/1...) reminded me about my own "disastrous failure" story.
In the end, our clients just ended up with a bit of extra work. Nothing too serious.
In the end, our clients just ended up with a bit of extra work. Nothing too serious.
That didn't age overly well.
It still somehow escapes me how these English developers build successful products.
It still somehow escapes me how these English developers build successful products.
October 30, 2025 at 4:11 PM
That didn't age overly well.
It still somehow escapes me how these English developers build successful products.
It still somehow escapes me how these English developers build successful products.
For years, statistical forecasting was the way to go for me when someone asked for an estimate.
Then I got back to simple linear approximation.
TL;DR: It's much quicker. And good enough.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Then I got back to simple linear approximation.
TL;DR: It's much quicker. And good enough.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
For years, statistical forecasting was the way to go for me when someone asked for an estimate.
Then I got back to simple linear approximation.
TL;DR: It's much quicker. And good enough.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Then I got back to simple linear approximation.
TL;DR: It's much quicker. And good enough.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
My not-so-love letter to Lovable's stellar growth.
TL;DR: Lovable's reported growth is a classic vanity metric, and it won't last.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/lovables-a...
TL;DR: Lovable's reported growth is a classic vanity metric, and it won't last.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/lovables-a...
Lovable’s ARR is Vanity Metric 2.0
Lovable's claim to be the fastest growing startup ever is based on their Annual Recurring Revenue traction. In their case, however, ARR is basically a vanity metric.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:47 AM
My not-so-love letter to Lovable's stellar growth.
TL;DR: Lovable's reported growth is a classic vanity metric, and it won't last.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/lovables-a...
TL;DR: Lovable's reported growth is a classic vanity metric, and it won't last.
pawelbrodzinski.substack.com/p/lovables-a...
Reposted by Pawel Brodzinski
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. - Brian Kernighan
October 27, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. - Brian Kernighan
Linear announced "the best feature ever" which is Slack integration that automatically adds a work item based on AI interpreting the conversation.
Well, so much for judgment in product development.
That's a totally new level of AI slop. Work generated by AI for humans :)
Well, so much for judgment in product development.
That's a totally new level of AI slop. Work generated by AI for humans :)
October 27, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Linear announced "the best feature ever" which is Slack integration that automatically adds a work item based on AI interpreting the conversation.
Well, so much for judgment in product development.
That's a totally new level of AI slop. Work generated by AI for humans :)
Well, so much for judgment in product development.
That's a totally new level of AI slop. Work generated by AI for humans :)
Vanity metric: a metric that makes you look good, but doesn't necessarily help to understand company performance or inform its strategy.
ARR should thus be a vanity metric.
It tells nothing about:
* ramping AI infrastructure costs (per user)
* hype-wave effect on future revenue predictions
ARR should thus be a vanity metric.
It tells nothing about:
* ramping AI infrastructure costs (per user)
* hype-wave effect on future revenue predictions
October 27, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Vanity metric: a metric that makes you look good, but doesn't necessarily help to understand company performance or inform its strategy.
ARR should thus be a vanity metric.
It tells nothing about:
* ramping AI infrastructure costs (per user)
* hype-wave effect on future revenue predictions
ARR should thus be a vanity metric.
It tells nothing about:
* ramping AI infrastructure costs (per user)
* hype-wave effect on future revenue predictions
"Goals are tidy. Systems are messy."
We don't fix productivity by sprinkling OKRs at our work.
It won't do much unless we agree on the basics:
What does "in progress" mean?
How do we choose the next most important thing?
What's the most desired outcome of our work?
substack.com/home/post/p-...
We don't fix productivity by sprinkling OKRs at our work.
It won't do much unless we agree on the basics:
What does "in progress" mean?
How do we choose the next most important thing?
What's the most desired outcome of our work?
substack.com/home/post/p-...
You Don’t Rise to the Level of Your Goals, You Flow to the Level of Your Systems
Why great teams don’t chase bigger goals, but build better systems that make ambition sustainable.
substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:04 AM
"Goals are tidy. Systems are messy."
We don't fix productivity by sprinkling OKRs at our work.
It won't do much unless we agree on the basics:
What does "in progress" mean?
How do we choose the next most important thing?
What's the most desired outcome of our work?
substack.com/home/post/p-...
We don't fix productivity by sprinkling OKRs at our work.
It won't do much unless we agree on the basics:
What does "in progress" mean?
How do we choose the next most important thing?
What's the most desired outcome of our work?
substack.com/home/post/p-...