Keith McDuffee

DevSecOps professional | Author | Founder of @StackRef | @[email protected]

[StackRef @StackRef]

The StackRef HM is now open source: https://t.co/2fALgblfax @KeithMcDuffee

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

I just backed Tex Murphy: Killing Moon Rising on @Kickstarter https://t.co/suVt6qoLJi

[Deedy @deedydas]

The vibes in SF feel pretty frenetic right now. The divide in outcomes is the worst I've ever seen.

Over the last 5yrs, a group of ~10k people - employees at Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Nvidia, Meta TBD, founders - have hit retirement wealth of well above $20M (back of the envelope AI estimation).

Everyone outside that group feels like they can work their well-paying (but <$500k) job for their whole life and never get there.

Worse yet, layoffs are in full swing. Many software engineers feel like their life's skill is no longer useful. The day to day role of most jobs has changed overnight with AI.

As a result,
1. The corporate ladder looks like the wrong building to climb.
Everyone's trying to align with a new set of career "paths": should I be a founder? Is it too late to join Anthropic / OpenAI? should I get into AI? what company stock will 10x next? People are demanding higher salaries and switching jobs more and more.

2. There’s a deep malaise about work (and its future).
Why even work at all for “peanuts”? Will my job even exist in a few years? Many feel helpless. You hear the “permanent underclass” conversation a lot, esp from young people. It's hard to focus on doing good work when you think "man, if I joined Anthropic 2yrs ago, I could retire"

3. The mid to late middle managers feel paralyzed.
Many have families and don't feel like they have the energy or network to just "start a company". They don't particularly have any AI skills. They see the writing on the wall: middle management is being hollowed out in many companies.

4. The rich aren’t particularly happy either.
No one is shedding tears for them (and rightfully so). But those who have "made it" experience a profound lack of purpose too. Some have gone from <$150k to >$50M in a few years with no ramp. It flips your life plans upside down. For some, comparison is the thief of joy. For some, they escape to NYC to "live life". For others still, they start companies "just cuz", often to win status points. They never imagined that by age 30, they'd be set. I once asked a post-economic founder friend why they didn't just sell the co and they said "and do what? right now, everyone wants to talk to me. if i sell, I will only have money."

I understand that many reading this scoff at the champagne problems of the valley. Society is warped in this tech bubble. What is often well-off anywhere else in the world is bang average here.

Unlike many other places, tenure, intelligence and hard work can be loosely correlated with outcomes in the Bay. Living through a societally transformative gold rush in that environment can be paralyzing. "Am I in the right place? Should I move? Is there time still left? Am I gonna make it?" It psychologically torments many who have moved here in search of "success".

Ironically, a frequent side effect of this torment is to spin up the very products making everyone rich in hopes that you too can vibecode your path to economic enlightenment.

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

@brianmcc Excellent tips thanks! Do any night sky viewing?

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

@brianmcc I’m doing the same trip to AZ next week! Any gotchas/tips you’ve run into?

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

@brianmcc Here it is again ;)

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

I just published Elephant In The Room https://t.co/leaKesSbRN

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

“Alex” is very reminiscent of the show “Devs”

[Linwood Barclay @linwood_barclay]

Great season finale for Paradise. This show is the closest thing on TV right now to Lost.

[It's Pronounced "Good Life" @gudlyf]

Since it's Halloween tomorrow, I figured I'd plug my short story collection again, in case you missed it. Ooooh, spooooky! https://t.co/zXzuvvlY5p #shorthorror #nosleep @NosleepPodcast

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

This is the last day to enter to win one of three signed copies of my book! Good luck! https://t.co/Kg9RYw1Uik

#nosleep #freebooks #horrorstories

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

I'm giving away three signed paperback copies of "Saint Ambrose" on Goodreads! https://t.co/NvxL7Mdqao #nosleep #horrorbooks #bookgiveaway

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

They’re heeeere! #nosleep #horror @NosleepPodcast

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

This is Veo 3, which provided the audio on its own. That Golden 100% has @Jason voice ...

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

I finally finished my short horror film, "Unknown," using Google Veo 3 and a few other tools. Read more about it here: https://t.co/M8VFPHg74h #veo3 #aivideo #horror #horrormovies

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

Pre-order my horror anthology, "Unholy Whispers of Saint Ambrose," featuring some of my stories from @NosleepPodcast

Coming September 2025!
https://t.co/IDlirCiH12

#horror #shorthorror #nosleep

[Keith McDuffee @KeithMcDuffee]

@MeganMcDuffee Just discovered your page somehow. Video games? Horror? We must be related LOL!

[It's Pronounced "Good Life" @gudlyf]

That D&amp;D Dungeon Master OpenAI GPT that I created and posted about here some time ago is now open to the public! Feedback welcome!

https://t.co/EoujjwzUTV

#openai #gpts #chatgpt #dnd #dnd5e

[StackRef @StackRef]

Corrected link, directly to our Product Hunt voting page: https://t.co/rNl0AuOikB

[StackRef @StackRef]

Hi everyone! StackRef has launched on ProductHunt this morning! Would really appreciate a quick upvote and any feedback you can provide!

https://t.co/p9U4ftmijs

Discounts for anyone using the discount code mentioned!

Thank you!

[StackRef @StackRef]

"When you tolerate an error, you rob yourself of learning.

When you ruminate on an error, you rob yourself of happiness.

Notice it, improve it, and move on from it."

- @JamesClear