Build, Sell, Understand

But AI is improving the efficiency of building and selling at a much faster rate than it is impacting the “understand” part of the job. We’re already seeing PM to engineering ratios fall. AI tools are beginning to do a lot of front-line CX and marketing work, and it will move up the stack from there.

What it hasn’t done a good job replacing yet is t... See more

If you’re currently thinking about what path to take, I’d offer three meditations on this framework:

Ask yourself where you derive joy (and what you can put up with).

I began my startup journey in growth, but found myself constantly pulled toward roles in analysis, strategy, and investing. I realized it is because I love the “understand” part of the... See more

There are only three fundamental jobs at any company:

1. Building - creating the product or the company itself


2. Selling - getting more customers to use the product


3. Understanding - learning more about what to build or sell

They form three interlocking circles, and every function can be mapped somewhere within them:

The job of selling comes for most of us eventually.

Recruiting, managing, and working cross-functionally are all mostly about selling. You’re trying to convince people to take a job, stay in a job, or do something they might not otherwise.

That means that if you stay in almost any function long enough, you’re probably going to end up doing a lot of ... See more

Some people like building beautiful products or designing efficient operations. Builders find joy in the act of creation - bringing something new or better into the world. But these roles usually come with a heavy logistics burden. There is just a lot of project management and complicated coordination between many stakeholders. When people first be... See more