Field Notes
Practical writing for product leaders and boutique advisors – on deciding what to build, answering the hard questions, and running a sharper practice.
Don't Start a Company. Claim Ownership Instead.
The survey says founders are the happiest people in tech. The lesson isn't "go start a company." It's that autonomy — not the title — is the real medicine.
AI Is Coming for the Spreadsheet, Not the Insight.
Designers and researchers are the most anxious about AI. It's coming for the spreadsheet, not the insight — and that changes what you should do next.
Nobody's Coming to Save Your Career. That's the Good News.
Nearly everyone in tech is ambivalent about AI. The number that matters: 64% are excited, only 33% hopeful. Here's why that gap is good news.
Cutting Management Layers Isn't the Same as Cutting the Work
Companies calling layoffs "simplification" rarely redesign who does the coordination work a manager used to do – and that gap is measurable.
Half Your Team Is Already Pasting Client Secrets Into Ungoverned AI
Half of knowledge workers use unsanctioned AI tools; 39% have pasted confidential documents into them. For a discretion-based firm, that's existential.
The Robot Isn't the Threat. The Squeeze Is.
Only 22% of tech workers fear being replaced by AI. Far more fear the squeeze — more work for the same pay. It's answerable, from both sides.
AI Didn't Make Me Faster. It Made Me Right More Often.
82% of tech workers say AI made them more productive. Whether it made the work better is a choice — and the research shows exactly how the two paths split.
The On-Ramp Didn't Close. It Just Stopped Being Free.
Most tech workers wouldn't recommend their field to a newcomer. The on-ramp is narrowing — but it's a filter, not a wall, and here's how you still get in.
Burnout Isn't a Motivation Problem. It's a Pace Problem.
Tech burnout just became the majority experience — but people still like the work. It's a pace problem, and a lot of it is one you can stop imposing.