Dan Moore!

I’m writing in response to Derek Thompson’s fascinating discussion about AI as normal technology. I believe that we human beings are going to turn more and more things over to AI. There are four data points that illustrate this. The first is my own personal experience. Like many, I have access to AI that can explain documents and RFCs to me, and I often use it to do so rather than reading these from first principles. It does depend on the length of the document and whether I’m reading it for…

This is something I’ve been thinking about recently. First, let me clarify that when I say software being done, I mean a particular feature. I don’t mean an entire package of software. A standalone application or SaaS software package is never actually done; there’s always new desires and demands from human beings, and all pieces of software must expand until they either send email or build their own messaging inbox because they can’t be bothered to interface with email. The most successful…

I’ve been playing Spelling Bee for a few weeks now, where you guess words from a selection of seven letters, one of which must be used in every word. The letters are arranged in a hexagon with that primary letter in the middle. If you want to learn more about how to play it, follow the directions here: For information on how to play, select the More in the top right corner of the game and then select How to Play. It has surprised me. I have learned that “oleo” is a word and that you can tell…

I just read CTO In The Loop by Balki Kodarapu. It’s free on Kindle through July 20th, so if you want to give it a read, go do that now. It’s a narrative arc following a developer, “Sam”, who starts as a software engineer at a startup, and ends up a fractional CTO after a career that includes engineering manager, director of engineering and VP of engineering at a company that IPOs. The book was a fun read, and does a good job describing what it’s like to build a company and a software business…

I’m getting to the age where peers have accomplished a lot. I’m not talking about people who were exceptional out of the gate and did great things in their 20s and 30s. I’m talking about people that felt like genuine peers, but now have done things like: made a boatload of money built a business such that they have all kinds of freedom are well known in their fields These folks have things that I want. And I feel like I’m just as talented. I could be where they are and have what they have. In…

I saw one post recently discussing how AI can’t substitute for judgment. There are many others if you search. And they all make an interesting argument. But to me what feels more true is that AI can’t substitute for caring. AI doesn’t care if the answer’s right or wrong. It doesn’t care if you were led down a rabbit hole only to find a dead end. It doesn’t care if a reader wasted their time or got a response that doesn’t actually address their question or need. However, AI is good at giving…

A recurring meeting serves as a powerful forcing function for long-running projects. Many organizations face a common challenge: a complex project that requires effort and perspectives from multiple people, moves through definition and execution phases, and unfolds over weeks, months, or years. But one where the tasks to accomplish the project are not anyone’s full-time job. Everyone has other obligations, fires to put out, and emails to answer. It’s easy for long-term strategic, high-impact…

This is something I’ve learned over the years, having watched it happen at company after company. I thought it was worth documenting for future me. When I was a young […]