Ben @ NextGen Software

15+ years crafting software & AI products. Let’s talk | MSc CS 🚀

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

@vibhu Tired of these posts, but kudos for managing to get this onto my feed.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Tailwind CSS reportedly laid off around 75% of its engineering team.

This isn’t just a company story. It’s an AI story.

AI is collapsing the gap between expert and capable. People don’t need 10 years of depth to be productive anymore. They can rent expertise through AI tools.

That’s deeply disruptive.

The bigger question is what this means for open source.

Historically, experts built open source, companies benefited, and maintainers burned out.
Now fewer experts are needed, fewer companies fund deep engineering, and more people consume than contribute.

Open source risks becoming read-only infrastructure.

If we want open source to survive, incentives have to change. Maintainers need real monetization paths, not just sponsorship badges. Contribution needs to be easier without lowering quality. Companies need to fund people, not just repos. Impact should matter more than stars.

AI makes everyone faster.
But someone still has to care deeply.

If incentives don’t change, open source won’t die. It’ll just quietly stop evolving.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

I turned 36 today.

Doubling down on:
• building products people actually pay for
• meeting builders, operators, and investors
• playing long games with serious people

If you’re building something interesting, let’s connect.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Anyone else try to track their habits or symptoms in apps like Bearable or Daylio…
only to end up more overwhelmed than before?

Sometimes the tool that’s supposed to help you feel better ends up becoming another thing to manage.

If you’ve ever quit tracking because the interface stressed you out, I’m curious what actually would make it easier?

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

It’s strange how the body whispers what the mind refuses to say.
Anxiety shows up in ways we don’t always recognize… until we look back and connect the dots.

[Philosophy Sage @philosophysage]

The IMPACT of Anxiety

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Hot take: most people aren’t “lazy” or “unmotivated.”

They’re exhausted from fighting invisible battles… tight stomach, racing thoughts, tension they can’t switch off.

If your body had a “stress meter,” what would yours be today from 1–10?

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

I don’t think people realize how exhausting it is to function normally while your body is sending “something’s wrong” signals that you can’t explain.

If you’re dealing with anxiety, gut tightness, random waves of stress, or days where your brain just feels… foggy, you’re not alone.

What’s the one symptom you wish people understood better?

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Took me way too long to realize my “bad days” weren’t random.

They followed a pattern:

stress → no sleep → crash → repeat.

Now I can see it coming and actually do something about it.
If you’re in the chronic stress/pain/burnout cycle, you’re not imagining it.

Track it. Patterns emerge.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Is it possible to hit 600 followers before the end of the year?

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

People talk about ‘fixing anxiety,’ but nobody talks about the tiny wins:
• replying to one message
• getting out of bed
• drinking water
• surviving the day
If you did even one of these today, you’re not behind, you’re doing your best.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Anxiety isn’t always “I’m scared.”
Sometimes it’s:
– tight chest
– random irritability
– trouble focusing
– feeling unsafe for no reason
– canceling plans
– being exhausted but wired
It hides in a lot of places.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Most people don’t have “mood swings.”
They have patterns no one ever taught them to notice.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

One underrated cheat code for stable mood:

Reduce the number of unknowns in your day.

Predictability beats motivation.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

I’ve noticed that people aren’t actually trying to “fix” themselves.
They’re trying to understand themselves.
And that alone reduces so much anxiety.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

People don’t fall apart suddenly.
There’s always a pattern:

sleep ↓
energy ↓
stress ↑
coping behaviors ↑
self-talk ↓
mood ↓

Track it early and you catch the slide before it gets bad.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Most mood trackers are either:
• too cute to be useful
or
• too medical to be usable.
There has to be something in between.

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

Working from Springdale, Utah hits different.

Morning meetings with red rock cliffs.
Deep focus sessions surrounded by silence.
Afternoons stepping out into Zion’s backyard to reset.

Sometimes the best way to level up your work…
is to change the view.

#Springdale #Zion #RemoteWork #FounderLife

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

@GithubProjects Vercel is down

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

AWS had a regional outage today, a brutal reminder why multi-region architecture isn’t optional.

If all your eggs are in one region, you don’t have high availability, you have hope.

Architect for failure before failure architects you. ☁️⚡️ #AWS #Cloud #DevOps

[Ben @ NextGen Software @BenFromNG]

In 2 years, users won’t care if your product uses AI.
They’ll just expect it to feel effortless.
That’s your opportunity and your deadline.