Michael Kalygin

◼ Software engineer & builder
◼ 15+ years turning vague ideas → products
◼ Building with AI, still reading diffs, sharing what works
◼ Co-founder of slay_lines

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

alright X, here we go again

I got bored after burning through my OpenAI tokens and made an English account

I quit my job to focus on building, and I think I have something to say about tech

I'll keep it personal without pretending I have it all figured out

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@joelsstafford doesn’t Europe use local billing solutions over Stripe? with overall data, do you think it’s still that behind?

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@ZappoMan @arvidkahl I still use them extensively myself. AI tends to write shallow tests that mirror the implementation. For better coverage, you end up writing tons of them. It’s much harder for AI to do that with behavioral integration tests. I believe that’s why there is that chatter.

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@frankdejonge here's the neat part: we don't

/jk I actually think shared activities and hobbies that don't feel obligatory or create any pressure are great. but internally, you still need to prioritize them over something else in your life, and that almost never happens

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@din0s_ @JFPuget good stuff. related to this, I've been thinking about the term "cognitive debt", and I'd say it's acceptable when it's fully acknowledged and tracked just like technical debt

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@JFPuget the worst thing is that claiming something is done doesn't mean any actual useful work was done anymore. verification and ownership still cost time, but you can't tell if that time was well spent without verifying it yourself

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

I love machine code! Machine code is amazing ... if you never, ever, EVER have to look at it yourself.

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@mitsuhiko I used to think it's ugly but lately I've been liking rust code too. I'm now wondering what kind of brain damage caused the change in attitude lol

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

actually, it made me think that sometimes designing while developing is the only way to figure things out, so I wouldn't call it inferior, but if you find yourself doing everything this way, you're probably moving too slow. I learned it the hard way.

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@thorstenball it sounds more like a planning skill than blind shipping

shipping well-planned slices of work >> shipping one big chunk of work that's poorly planned so you end up making design decisions as you go >> shipping chaotic, unsystematic small changes

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@thorstenball it sounds more like a planning skill than blind shipping

shipping well-planned slices of work >> shipping one big chunk of work that's poorly planned so you end up making design decisions as you go >> shipping chaotic, unsystematic small changes

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@neogoose_btw what about the code review process? what does that look like?

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@ugo_builds well… sounds like something that costs a million to learn 😂

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@thorstenball it can also test some obscure scenarios like slow internet or a dropped connection. I’m now considering making playwright e2e tests a priority in every web project and focusing heavily on their reliability and coverage

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@acadictive nice, I'm in the same boat just at the beginning of the journey. glad to see you're not giving up, keep going!

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@_waela I usually don’t worry about it. People come and go, and the best ones always stay on your radar.

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@nlytheloserswin @AndrewYNg true, but I find targeted attacks far more dangerous than unintended damage

I agree with Andrew that this risk can be mitigated by restricting access and putting stronger safety controls in place

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@EmileAndHisBots @AndrewYNg this fear is real too, but not as much at this point in history. machines aren’t that close to having this capability yet imo

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@kamilbaranek_ cause opus 5.5 is out too haha

[Michael Kalygin @mkxbld]

@tealtoronto hey, happy to connect, I'm also based in Dubai and only just starting my building journey