The factory model made sense when scale was the bottleneck. AI changes the equation. When any idea can be vibe-coded, the future of tech jobs is mastery, not hustle. We need small workshops where masters work alongside learners. They can be "tech ateliers".
readWe sense something wrong when the update bricks the appliance, the service shuts down with our data, the repair costs more than replacement by design. Ivan Illich called the missing quality "conviviality". The path to it: "transparent technologies" — tools we can understand, inspect, and repair.
readA decade in venture-backed startups, consulting taught one lesson: the industry's obsession with scale is broken. The Digital-Mittelstand offers an alternative: mastery over growth, longevity over scale, profitability over prestige.
readIf anyone can now "cook" an app, differentiation lies in quality, not quantity. The Software Meal Tier System maps food and software from microwave meals to Michelin stars. Most mainstream SaaS is devolving toward fast food. As AI churns out commodity apps, craftsmanship becomes the moat.
readSocial proof shows what others think. Above that, permission structures shape why people feel comfortable deciding. They are psychological scaffolding that makes it easier to say "yes." David Axelrod built one to elect Barack Obama. Startups can build them to earn trust before they have traction.
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Essays on software craft, independent product thinking, from a European perspective.
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