Notes from the work
How we think things through.
Notes on building software, understanding businesses and changing the way work gets done.
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Latest
Mike · 3 October 2026
What the Map Leaves Out
An impressive capability is an invitation to investigate. Before you drive a truck over the bridge, somebody should look at the bridge.
ReadMike · 3 October 2026
A Faster Tool Is Not a Faster Team
A coding assistant enters a system of review, testing and release. Start by following one ordinary change through it.
ReadMike · 3 October 2026
The Cost of Making Something Easier
When somebody says a tool saves time, I want to know whose time it saves.
ReadMike · 25 February 2026
The World in the Words: How Language Models Construct Reality
Language is civilization’s compressed model of reality. When machines master its patterns, they reconstruct the world.
Read02
From the archive
Start where the work gets stuck
Before choosing software, look closely at the task that has become difficult.
ReadKnowing which knob to turn
Every system has a thousand places you could push. Almost none of them move it.
ReadSpecifications a fleet of agents can build
When writing code is nearly free, the constraint moves to the specification.
ReadWhat a transcript throws away
Most of the signal in speech is discarded the moment you reduce it to text.
Read