What's next?

Hello again my friend,

We've covered a lot in the last five weeks. The trilogy of how to get a job, crush the first 90 days, and keep going was extremely popular. Since then I've covered how to pick employers, and how AI is changing every role (founder, manager, individual). The replies have been very positive.

Now, we’re looking at what happens in a world where you’re faster, but few are keeping up.

AI can complete many basic work tasks in minutes. Even more complex workflows that involve code can be done in 20–30 minutes. We can generate entire marketing campaigns, code apps, and complete a week's worth of research in less than a day.

Whether you're looking for a job, employed, or a founder (or something in between), you are going to encounter this at some point. Some of these friction points are obvious, like renewing your license. Nobody likes dealing with their version of the DMV. But some are less obvious, like the ones at work

The DMV is a great example because it reflects life for people who are not chronically online, looking up the latest AI tools, and improving. Most people are not improving. We are. This is a great time for us.

How do we make the most of it and thrive?

Let’s lock in.

I saw a post from Jack Dorsey (the Twitter guy) that went viral because he disclosed how his company fired nearly half its workforce (about 6,000 people).

The stock price allegedly shot up 18% within the week.

It's not just them. Shopify has been making layoffs for years, even before the infamous memo by their CEO Tobi Lütke. They had about 8,100 employees at one point. Here it is for reference.

All to say, the big companies are downsizing hard. The smaller, faster ones aren't convinced they need to hire many more people at all.

But that doesn't mean playing in the big leagues is as hard as it used to be. Those of us on the leading edge have to do just that: lead. It starts with us.

But first, here’s the key context in all of this:

While AI feels like it’s “everywhere” to us, its adoption is actually quite low in real-world settings. Globally, only about 16.3% of the world's population used generative AI tools by the end of 2025, and that’s once, not necessarily using it often or well. People are trying it out here and there. Companies are dipping their toes. But, by and large, we’re still at least a year away from people using it regularly, and well.

To be upfront, I don't think everyone is going to vibe-code a new app and become a millionaire. But there is so much opportunity to build something for ourselves and others. If there was ever a time to start something new in the evenings and weekends, it's now.

Of course, it hasn't been long since I wrote that most of us don't need another side project — and that's the trap to watch out for. It's easy to spin up an app, build a new workflow, or offer "AI consulting."

The gap between people using AI and people using it well is enormous right now. It's a massive opportunity, but easy to get lost in if you're not careful.

When I say “lead,” I mean three things specifically, all rooted in what you already have to work with.

Build your credibility. The stuff you've been putting off that would genuinely move your career forward. Your portfolio site, the outreach list you never got to, the posts you wanted to write. AI makes all of this fast enough that "I don't have time" is no longer the real excuse. These aren't new projects per-se. They’re regular things we know we could do, but just never make time.

Sort out your personal life. This sounds small but it compounds. The budget you keep putting off. The DIY projects. Pre-planning travel and holidays properly. When your personal life is dialed in, you show up differently at work. I built a receipt tracking app in a weekend that saves me hours per week, something I'd failed to sort out for years before AI. Personal software is real, it's fast to build, and it genuinely changes your day-to-day.

Build around what people already ask you. Not random ideas that seem cool. The specific things people come to you for. A local events newsletter. A directory of products you actually buy. A tool that solves one specific problem your audience has. These work because the demand is already proven, you just have to show up and build it.

The common thread: none of this is starting from zero. It's taking what already exists in your life and finally executing.

In a world where AI hands us superpowers on demand, the gap between thriving and just getting by comes down to one thing: personal agency.

The idea is straightforward: you don't have to take life sitting down.

When all of this comes together, you can change your life

I'll leave you with one story about a truck driver in the late '70s and early '80s.

This truck driver was young (around 20) and heavily inspired by films like Star Wars. So much so that he wanted to pursue filmmaking. He didn't have the money to attend film school.

But he was resourceful, and didn’t let anything stop him. Not looking stupid, or how great film-makers “had to go to film school.”

After his trucking shifts, he would go to the USC library, find dissertations from film students, remove the staples, and photocopy hundreds of pages. For over six months, he'd take those copies and staple them into new manuals to study. It was a world-class film education from one of the greatest film schools in the country, for free, while driving a truck for a living

This truck driver was James Cameron.

Yes. The same one who created Titanic, Aliens, and the Avatar films. The second highest grossing director of all time.

Everyone had access to photocopiers and libraries in the '70s and '80s. There's one James Cameron.

We all have access to AI tools. But most of us won’t go far with them.

The playbook above is a quick way to make sure the time you spend working with the tools isn’t wasted. But the mentality to really succeed with all of this new technology is impossible to teach. It’s something we have to bring to the table ourselves. I think about this every day, frankly.

I hope this stays on your mind for a little while at least, and you make the most of it.

Thanks, as always, for reading.