thethinkingpixel

🚀 Finding and Coaching A-Player engineers in
👨🏼‍💻 Building myself and my company in public
🔗 Open-sourcing everything

[Malte Landwehr @MalteLandwehr]

https://t.co/Ut6464j9Sk

[Vraj Shah @shahvraj99]

If you want to shape the product,
not just design it

and care about business as much as craft

@peec_ai is hiring a Senior Product Designer

Apply to the link below

https://t.co/XT5fLc2Pxc

[Vraj Shah @shahvraj99]

Most of the magic happens in this table @peec_ai

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

I think I could safely say I'm a Gemini fan :))))

[Paul Graham @paulg]

The stupidity of this regulation will be revealed gradually as technology evolves.

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

Why do I keep trusting the media, so many short form content about the interview with Peter Thiel and the part the interviewer asked, “you would prefer the human race to endure?”, and “you’re hesitating … this is a long hesitation”!

UntilI finally saw it myself https://t.co/D6T3vxb8VY. Highly recommended

Context matters and many things are so wrong out of context!

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

Many great apps looked very basic in v1. Polish comes only after seeing market adaptation.

Many big names are service businesses with heavy ops, not pure “tech” companies. Proving demand is the goal and any basic app is sufficient for pain killer solutions.

99% of even well-planned startups fail. Nobody, not even pro VCs, knows which 1% will succeed.

[Mao Ning 毛宁 @SpoxCHN_MaoNing]

🚀 In SE China’s Jiangxi, a teacher and his students built a two-stage rocket from plastic bottles and powered by water pressure!

This is the kind of hands-on joy that makes science unforgettable.

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

@alinzm 🫠

[Y Combinator @ycombinator]

“A hacker who has learned what to make, and not just how to make, is extraordinarily powerful.”

https://t.co/0cf8SXcIjk

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

@benln Building https://t.co/zFrnkoD2W1 so people can nail interviews as their New Year's resolution 😅

[Ali @alinzm]

most “leadership advice” assumes you already have pmf

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

@alinzm Very close to exposing secrets 🤣

[Ali @alinzm]

you don’t ask users what they want, you ask them about their pain and then find a solution to solve it.

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

I hate treading water in my startup. It’s not about the metrics going up every day; it’s about testing and learning. If you’re just doing the same repetitive tasks day in and day out, you’re just running in place even if I'm making money!

[Peter Girnus 🦅 @gothburz]

The company hired me to lead their "Agile Transformation."
I don't know what Agile means.
Nobody does.
That's why it works.

I make $425,000 a year.
To move sticky notes.
From left to right.
On a board.
The board is digital now.
The sticky notes cost $80,000 in Jira licenses.
Progress.

Day one, I said "we need to break down silos."
Everyone nodded.
Silos are bad.
I don't know why.
But destroying them is a career.
My career.

I introduced "squads."
Squads are teams.
But disrupted.
We disrupted the teams into teams.
Different names.
Same people.
Same problems.
But Agile problems now.
Agile problems are strategic.

A senior engineer asked what we're actually changing.
I said, "The mindset."
He asked what that means.
I said, "It's a journey."
He asked where we're going.
I said, "Toward agility."
He asked what agility means.
I pointed at the sticky notes.
They were moving left to right.
That's velocity.
We have velocity now.

The VP of Engineering said two-week sprints don't fit their work.
I said, "That's waterfall thinking."
Waterfall is bad.
Like silos.
I don't know what waterfall is.
But I know it's bad.
She stopped talking.
Waterfall accusations end conversations.

We had a retrospective.
In the retro, we discussed what went wrong.
Everything went wrong.
We put it on sticky notes.
Then we moved the sticky notes.
Into a column called "Parking Lot."
The Parking Lot is where problems go to die.
It's full.
We don't look at it.
That's agile.

Velocity is up 40%.
I defined velocity.
I also defined the points.
I also defined the stories.
We're crushing it.
At the things I made up.
To measure.
Ourselves.

The CEO asked for ROI.
I showed a chart.
The chart went up.
Charts should go up.
This one did.
I didn't label the Y-axis.
Nobody asked.
Leadership is confidence.

We do standups now.
Every day.
We stand.
For 45 minutes.
Standing is agile.
Sitting is waterfall.
My legs hurt.
But we're transforming.

The transformation is now "Phase 3."
Phase 1 was assessment.
Phase 2 was implementation.
Phase 3 is "continuous improvement."
Continuous means forever.
Forever means job security.
I'm very secure.

My contract was extended.
Three more years.
For "cultural impact."
The culture is confused.
But impacted.

Agile transformation isn't about being agile.
It's about transforming.
Continuously.
Toward more transformation.
The destination is the journey.
The journey is billable.

[Paul Graham @paulg]

If I could send my 18 year old self a message, it would have three parts:

1. Prestige is often mistaken. Follow curiosity instead.

2. There's no way to avoid hard work. It's not sufficient, but it is necessary.

3. Don't take your parents for granted.

[Paul Graham @paulg]

This graph from @pablogguz_ of Spanish fiscal contributions by age demonstrates an important fact. The 40 and 50 year olds are carrying both their kids and their parents. And not just economically. This is why it's hard to be middle-aged.

[Z Fellows @zfellows]

Mark Zuckerberg: “Ideas don't come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started."

[thethinkingpixel @thethinkingpx]

Solopreneurship is overglorified!

Like Barney said:

"Whatever you do in this life, it's not legendary unless your friends are there to see it!"