I have lost roughly 60% of my cynicism about the current high-water mark for LLMs and augmented coding… I am certain this last 9 months has been a significant generational change in how we can approach work.

Oh no, I'm AI pilled

Let's growth hack blog visitor numbers record how I use them today as a little reflection on where I think they work and where they don't. Something I can revisit as the tech (and my skill with it) improves

This is update number four, or entry number five, depending on how you want to count it.

• part 1 - structured tone of fascination + scepticism
• part 2 - learning how to manage and control them
• part 3 - reluctant acceptance but also thankfulness (?) of what they do for you when you let go of control
• part 4 - realising even though it's no longer "braincode" + no longer for humans, it still comes from human brains

someone at work named the episodes for me, i love it

so now… part 5 - yee haw, paul is AI pilled

in today's edition of AI hot takes

• the agent is my to-do list
• no longer focused on the code, 5% focus down from 95%
• i don't use these tools, i hire them into my team
• genuine frustration when they lack autonomy
• stop making me tell you when to run
• skills skills skill skills

At a recent company offsite a bunch of people asked me how many of the off-sites I'd been on. I didn't remember so I made this list since if I don't remember now I have no chance of remembering in 5 or 10 years.

My favourite quote is "The plans are useless, the planning is essential"

Since the plans are useless, why do we run planning sessions at all?

It's planning season at work. We are high trust, high agency, and minimise collaboration. It is pretty common for folk to change their plans and they do so without needing to seek approval.

Without shared context and an understanding of the broader picture, people would change plans but be pulling in different directions. Having the big picture means you can rely more on instinct and curiosity rather than rigid plans.

I remain very cynical about the current high-water mark for LLMs and augmented coding… but at the same time I use them every day and I don't think they're finished improving.

Let's growth hack blog visitor numbers record how I use them today as a little reflection on where I think they work and where they don't. Something I can revisit as the tech (and my skill with it) improves

This is update number three, or entry number four, depending on how you want to count it.

• the first entry is here
• the second entry is here
• the third entry is here

in today's edition of AI hot takes

• basically never braincode
• it's still about your brain
• hot take

I shipped 1000 PRs in the last 12 months at PostHog. And someone asked me how I do it… let's see if i know.

preamble

• yes, yes, I know you don't think I should count PRs
• when a measure becomes a target it stops being a useful measure
• embrace yourself

advice

• it is running not cycling
• small steps ftw
• practice like a jazz musician
• love making things
• one more iteration

I've been lucky to watch some excellent engineers, product managers, and user researchers carry out user interviews.

And had the opportunity at PostHog to practice that skill. I've explained all this a couple of times to different people, so thought I'd write it down.

• set expectations
• write down quotes
• show > tell
• compound interest
• sometimes stop
• be a Labrador
• this is the redesign that will kill the the Facebook

I remain very cynical about the current high-water mark for LLMs and augmented coding… but at the same time I use them every day and I don't think they're finished improving.

Let's growth hack blog visitor numbers record how I use them today as a little reflection on where I think they work and where they don't. Something I can revisit as the tech (and my skill with it) improves

This is update number two, or entry number three, depending on how you want to count it.

the first entry is here the second entry is here

• XP pedant agent
• primarily using LLMs
• throw away way more work
• be very strict with what i do type
• i approach understanding code differently

There are a few memes (in the original sense) that have got stuck in my head. They feel like the beginning of madness. I'm going to track them, to see how many I accumulate

• water isn't real
• old people are time travellers

Each of them feels like something that would tip a different me over the edge into madness.

I remain very cynical about the current high-water mark for LLMs and augmented coding… but at the same time I use them every day and I don't think they're finished improving.

Let's growth hack blog visitor numbers record how I use them today as a little reflection on where I think they work and where they don't. Something I can revisit as the tech (and my skill with it) improves

This is update number one, or entry number two, depending on how you want to count it. So, here are the changes in how I'm using LLMs

(we had a brownbag on this at work yesterday, so it's been on my mind)

the first entry is here

• manage context
• track longer tasks in a structured file
• smallest prompt that describes how you want to work
• be sparing with auto-accept edits

I've been at PostHog for four years. After having the best four years of my career at Co-op Digital, I'm privileged to have then also had the best four years of my career at PostHog. Surely, I've learned something that I can cram into a cliche format?!

• Don't look for a family, look for a team
• Talk to users all the time
• You can YOLO and strangle your figs at the same time
• Trust is a super power