Aiden NJC

AI | Web3 | Consulting

[Aiden NJC @njc_04]

https://t.co/a33Xs6iuxG

[Boris Cherny @bcherny]

As engineering, product, design, DS, etc. melt into a new kind of role, I was reflecting on what roles might look like in the future. For example, when I look at the Claude Code team I see what I think is five archetypes:

1. Prototyper: comes up with brand new ideas; churns out many ideas, most of which don't ship
2. Builder: quickly turns a prototype/idea into production-grade product/infra
3. Sweeper: cleans up the UI, simplifies the code and system, unships, optimizes performance
4. Grower: takes a product that has been built and iterates on it to improve Product-Market Fit
5. Maintainer: owns a mature system to make it secure, reliable, fast, and efficient as it scales

Many people span across 2 roles, and sometimes 3 roles. I also notice that these roles are not really tied to job function -- eg. across Anthropic, some designers match category 1, some 2, some 3; same for engineers, PM, DS.

A healthy team needs a mix of these, depending on the product:

- A product that is new and pre-PMF needs people that are strong at 1+2+3
- A product that is growing and has found PMF needs 2+3+4 and some 5
- A product that has strong PMF needs 3+4+5 and some 2

Maybe product roles of the future will look more like this, and less like the domain-specific roles of today?

[Aiden NJC @njc_04]

Exactly. Been saying this the same way: Loop itself is free. "While true", anyone can write it.

What's actually scarce is the judgment layer, the constraint surface, the verifier that actually sees errors instead of letting them compound.

I framed it differently (constraint surface, not foundation) in my article: https://t.co/CAYxTfRGOh

Most teams optimize for "how fast can the loop run" when they should optimize for "how much does it cost when the loop breaks."

Autonomy amplifies leverage in both directions. The skill is building the immune system around it.

[AI最严厉的父亲 @dashen_wang]

https://t.co/W18kJkKKu0

[Aiden NJC @njc_04]

I’m 22, fresh out of college, first job in consulting, and I’m going to write about AI & crypto here.

▋Why Write

Like many others, from day 1 of college, I tried to find purpose. And like many others, I can’t say that I’ve found it.

Did make some good friends though, and did the Gen Z starter pack: linkedin-maxxing, hyrox, marathons, tennis, pickleball, and the list goes on.

And now I feel like an NPC in life, big L. (imagine how many people introduce themselves with: “Hi, I’m a consultant, and my interests are golf and tennis”)

To be honest, I saw it coming halfway through the journey, though, so while I’m securing my safety path, I’ve been looking for my purpose in life and what excites me.

I’m not certain of any answer I’ve found, because every answer right now feels more like a hypothesis, so I decided to build visibility into my own progress.

▋Why AI & crypto

1. It’s cool
2. I have always been inspired by the future and the ideas of what could be.
3. As of now, I want to be the kind of guy who talks about the coolest things with the sharpest insightfulness.
4. I think there are a lot of fake gurus out here. (hot topics always have over-distributed attention) I want to learn it, truly understand it, and share it with you. Hopefully, there will be some hot takes and good reads. No fluff.

Let the solo leveling begin.