I've navigated five technology system transitions across 30 years. Now I work with revenue-stage SaaS CEOs on the AI transition - privately, as a thinking partner, with no agenda but theirs.
Engineering, product, executive - three disciplines, full depth. Chief architect. VP Product. CPO. CPTO. CEO. Four exits across every stage.
Most advisors see one slice - technical, product, or business. Three disciplines in full depth makes it possible to hold all of them simultaneously, without losing resolution when the conversation moves between them.
The CEOs I work with have read everything worth reading. The gap isn't information — it's that none of it maps onto their specific situation, and they've run out of people who can help make that translation without an agenda.
iPhone
So I’ve made the plunge and bought an iPhone. Half the joy is in using such a beautifully designed product - every aspect of the experience shows so much thought. I can only add my kudos, and continue to be frustrated at how low the standards are for so many products.
Infrastructure
So in the physical world, there’s tremendous constraints placed on a system by existing infrastructure. It defines and limits what can be done without significant extra resources expended - which means cost, complexity, risk, etc.
In a recent issue of Wired, there’s an article about how a new city in China is being designed with what amounts to a well thought out infrastructure optimized towards energy use
It’s an interesting contrast between that approach and the agile software approach of evolving the infrastructure (and the approach to infrastructure that’s true for most cities as well). Of course, the infrastructure in software is much more malleable than the physical infrastructure of a city - yet there are still great costs and challenges with evolving software infrastructure.
Why haven’t we figured out how to make this easier?
Excite Reunion
Thanks to Julie, we had a great Excite.com reunion party last night at her house. Ostensibly, it was to celebrate an old Excite comrade (Kuntay) coming to Austin to work (at least for a little while) - and it was a great reason for many of us to get back together.
I have to say, after many years - it may be corny (but not surprising to those who know me), that I still fell privileged to have worked with such a great group of people who all shared a common purpose. For many of us, the world-changing potential of online community (now known as social media) was not just a j o b - but meant something personal.
I’ve been fortunate to work with some of those folks since then, as well as to help create similarly rewarding groups as well. I hope that continues.