Justin M. Nassiri

I’m the Founder and CEO of Executive Presence, where we help leaders build trust, visibility, and influence through authentic executive thought leadership on LinkedIn.

In just over three years, we've bootstrapped past $3M ARR, partnered with more than 250 executives, and conducted more than 750 CEO interviews. When leaders show up consistently in their own voice, their entire company benefits.

Most executives already have a network that trusts them. They just lack a system that keeps them top of mind. My team and I help them articulate what they believe, stay relevant in moments that matter, and expand their influence to hire better, sell faster, raise capital, and shape their industry's narrative.

Our work is built around three principles:

• Authenticity: capture the leader’s real voice and worldview
• Efficiency: require as little as 90 minutes of their time each month
• Measurability: track progress weekly with clear KPIs and outcomes

I work with CEOs, founders, and senior executives at high-growth companies who want their leadership to be an asset that compounds.

My own path shapes how I think about leadership, communication, and influence:

• Officer aboard nuclear submarines, leading teams of more than 200 in high-stakes environments
• Stanford MBA and three-time founder
• Former CEO of StoryBox, funded by Eric Schmidt and used by over 1,000 brands
• Host of the 450-episode leadership and career podcast Beyond the Uniform

Every role taught me the same lesson: Executives are among a company’s most underutilized assets. When leaders communicate with clarity and consistency, they elevate culture, attract talent, deepen trust, and move their industries forward.

My work at Executive Presence is about helping leaders do exactly that - authentically, efficiently, and with measurable results.

CEO ◆ We turn leaders into thought leaders

We specialize in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. 

We've helped over 100 CEOs become thought leaders. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.

One of my clients sold his company for over $2 billion, and LinkedIn was part of his exit strategy.

When we started working together, he had posted 5 times in the last year, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Eighteen months later, he was posting 20 times a month, pulling 400-plus likes on his top posts, and had become a recognized voice in his industry.

Then a Fortune 500 company acquired his company.

When the announcement went out, it reached his entire industry because two years of consistent publishing had already built the audience to receive it. Acquirers, partners, and investors had been watching him think in public for two years before the deal closed.

Most CEOs never think about LinkedIn until a liquidity event, a fundraise, or a leadership transition is already in motion. But by then, it's too late to build the credibility that makes those moments land.

At Executive Presence, we work with executives before those moments arrive.

So join me on March 18 for a live webinar where I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data (replay available if you can't make it live).

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

CEO @ Executive Presence | Executive LinkedIn Strategy | Say Something Worth Reading

One of my clients IPO'd at $6 billion.

He did it by posting less on LinkedIn, not more.

Before we started working together four years ago, he was already posting 18 times a month. More than most executives ever will. But 52% of his content was industry commentary. Safe. Professional. Forgettable.

We shifted the mix. He posted slightly less. 
Impressions went up 71%. 
Engagement rate went up 52%. 
Personal content drove 2.5x the reach of industry posts.

Less content. Better mix. $6 billion IPO.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others - with real before-and-after data - in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

Yesterday, Executive Presence turned 4 years old. 

The last four years have been the most fulfilling years of my career. 

My first two companies didn't pan out as I had hoped. 
My third company has felt like the culmination of everything I learned in those first two endeavors. 

As I look back on our journey to this point, I want to thank people who played a key role on this journey.

David Lyon - you were the first person I told about this idea during a coaching session. You told me "this is the most clearly I've heard you describe a business. I love it." That encouragement was the initial spark. 

Ryan Hogan - you were our first official client. I couldn't have picked a more energizing, supportive client. 

Abby Cunningham - you were the first employee I hired. I never thought I wanted to hire another employee again. Your positivity & dedication made me change my mind. 

Kelley Braegger - you and I worked side-by-side in the trenches at all hours of the day. Your indomitable mindset kept me going. 

Bill Youstra - you challenged me when I needed it the most. "We've seen the limits of what Justin can build on his own." The day after you told me that, I got serious about becoming a recruiter for my company. 

Erin Dierker - I still cannot believe I ever convinced you to work with me. You are truly a unicorn - equal parts BCG-level strategy and Y-Combinator-level execution. 

Mitzi Mock - I've never campaigned so hard to hire someone. You convinced me that working with a close friend can be one of the greatest gifts in life. 

Greg Alexander - I still tear up thinking of your generosity. Your invitation to spend the weekend with you in Dallas changed the course of my company. You've shaped my thinking about business more than anyone else on this journey. 

My Entrepreneurs'​ Organization forum, No VC Coffee Club, and Collective 54: Thank you for being a sounding board, a support, and fellow travelers on this entrepreneurial journey.

And most of all - my team:
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Thank you for making celebration, kindness & positivity a deep part of our culture.
Thank you for a commitment to constant learning, growth, and rapid iteration.
Thank you for supporting me and each other in a selfless way.
The best is yet to come. 

2026 is going to be our best year yet, and I can't wait for the next four years ahead.

LFG

One of my clients went from $0 to $200 million in revenue in <5 years.

2 of the 3 biggest retailers in the US regularly reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings.

When we started working together, he had posted about 5 times a year for a decade, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Two years later, he was posting 7 times a month with 5x the engagement, and the people reading his content were the buyers who matter most to his business.

When he walks into a meeting now, they already know who he is. His LinkedIn presence turned cold meetings into warm ones before a single word was said, and the biggest retailers in his market became familiar with his thinking long before any contract was on the table.

When a top-three retailer walks into a meeting already quoting your LinkedIn posts, the sales conversation starts from a completely different place. That kind of familiarity takes years to build, and it only comes from showing up consistently long before the meeting is ever scheduled.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data, in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

I watched a video of the McDonald's CEO eating a burger from his own restaurant, and I immediately recognized the problem.

He held the burger awkwardly, called it "the product," and took a tiny nibble before describing it like he was reading off a spec sheet. Millions of people roasted him for it, and one commenter said he looked "incredibly alien."

The thing is, Chris Kempczinski reportedly eats McDonald's three to four times a week. He probably loves the burger. 

But nobody who watched that video believed him, because the way he talked about his own product didn't match how someone who genuinely enjoys a burger actually talks about a burger.

That disconnect between what someone feels and how they express it is something I run into constantly in my work with CEOs on LinkedIn.

A CEO will be genuinely passionate about their company or their team, and then write a post that sounds like their PR department drafted it during their lunch.

I've helped hundreds of CEOs communicate on LinkedIn at @Executive Presence, and the first draft almost always has this problem. CEOs default to corporate language because it feels safe and polished, even though safe and polished is exactly how you lose people.

When a post reads like a press release, people scroll past it. And the audience you're trying to reach - employees, prospects, potential partners - never gets a sense of who you actually are.

The CEOs I've seen generate real traction talk about their business the way they'd talk about it over dinner. They name specific people, describe specific moments, and share specific lessons they've learned along the way. They sound like themselves, and their audiences respond to that.

Kempczinski's video went viral for the wrong reasons. But the lesson for every executive is the same one I share with our clients every week.

If you love your product (or your burger), talk about it like you love it. 

People can tell when you mean it, and they can absolutely tell when you don't.

Most of us need more time with more people.

I realized how true that was on a recent 48-hour trip to San Francisco, where I spent maybe two hours alone aside from sleeping. I'm someone who usually withdraws after big social events to recover, so I expected to be drained by the end of the trip.

But this trip was different, because I shared it with friends I have decades of depth, safety, and connection with. Being around them doesn't pull from my reserves the way a networking event or a conference would.

One afternoon, for example, I went on a two-hour hike with a friend near where he lives. There's something about being outside, in the sun, walking with someone and processing ideas together that effortlessly deepens a conversation. Hiking alone brings up ideas for me, but hiking with another person creates an exchange that goes beyond what I'd come up with on my own.

Later that weekend, I spent hours playing video games with a friend's son while his parents sat down and read. They clearly appreciated the breathing room, and I genuinely enjoyed feeling useful and connecting with their kid.

In both of those moments - the hike and the video games - everyone involved walked away with something they needed. 

When you spend extended time with people you trust, there's a natural give and take that's hard to replicate in a one-hour dinner or a scheduled Zoom call.

Both the give and the take are worth their weight in gold. After my trip, I walked away from 48 hours of nonstop togetherness more energized than I've felt in months. 

And I keep wondering why I don't do it more often.

I work with a CRO who built a $200M+ market from scratch, and three of the biggest retailers in the US now reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings. 

Not his company's marketing materials or press releases. His LinkedIn posts.

And two years ago, he was posting five times a year.

He's one of four investor-backed leaders I've been tracking over the past two years, and the pattern across all four is almost identical. 

The same framework produced a $2B+ exit for a healthcare software CEO, 26% headcount growth for a Chief Clinical Officer during a nationwide talent crisis, and a $6B IPO for an enterprise software CEO who shifted his content mix and saw impressions jump 71%.

Every one of them either started from near-zero visibility or was visible in the wrong way. And every one of them almost quit in the first three months because it felt like nothing was happening.

But the ones who kept going are the ones you've heard of.

Four case studies that changed how I talk to operating partners about visibility I recently presented to a room full of PE and VC operating partners w

Open article: Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It by Justin M. Nassiri • 6 min read

Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It

I didn't know one of my employees was a baker until I spent an afternoon with him in San Francisco.

Having a remote team is one of the reasons we've been able to attract the best talent at Executive Presence - geographic separation within the U.S. hasn't limited our hiring. 

But remote work comes with a tradeoff. 

I miss breathing the same air as my people and getting a sense for who they are beyond a Zoom screen, where conversations tend to be scheduled, succinct, and specific, with rarely any room to wander.

So on a recent trip to San Francisco, I spent several hours with one of our newer Engagement Managers, Joey Perotti. We met at a coffee shop, went for a walk, grabbed dinner, went to lunch the next day, and walked some more.

After about an hour together, we’d already covered all the obvious work topics. And that's when the conversation got really interesting.

I learned that Joey's a baker. We talked about his creative journey writing screenplays and prose, and hosting a podcast. I got to see a side of him that a 30-minute Zoom call would never show me.

His time in film school, his documentary work, his podcast - all of these creative pursuits have sharpened his ability to help our clients communicate their stories, which is exactly what we need him to do.

Even as a fully remote company, I want to keep investing in these in-person moments with my team - and I only have 2 more team members to meet in person (hoping to see you soon Juliette C. and Melissa M.!).

So if a few hours over coffee and a walk can show me something months of Zoom calls couldn't, I'll keep booking the flights.

In 48 hours in San Francisco, I saw six Stanford University Graduate School of Business classmates and five of their children.

The length of my program at Stanford was only two years. But those two years were so intense - the workload, the pressure, the late nights figuring out what we wanted to do with our lives - that the bonds we formed run much deeper than two years would suggest.

And those bonds have persisted long after graduation, even as our lives have gone in completely different directions.

One friend runs a massive company, and another pivoted careers entirely. A few are deep in the weeds of parenthood, trying to figure out screen time rules and school choices and how to be present while also building something professionally.

Despite all that variance, every conversation I had that weekend landed in a similar place. 

Career is one piece of the pie, and for all of us, it's becoming a smaller piece. Fulfillment, family, health, being intentional about how we raise our kids - those are the things that dominated our conversations.

Even how we spend time together has changed. A far cry from how we spent our Friday nights at Stanford.

But no matter how different our lives look, these people still have a real read on me. They knew me during a formative period of my life, and because of that, they can be honest and direct in a way that few other people in my life can.

I'll always make time to invest in these friendships. Even when it means flying across the country for 48 hours.

Good people who genuinely know you - and are willing to tell you the truth - are always worth the trip.

I am a technology leader with 12+ years of experience architecting scalable commerce systems.

I specialize in building global marketplace platforms, migrating legacy commerce environments to modern platforms such as Shopify and applying AI solutions where they deliver measurable outcomes.

I am a 2x Google Cloud Certified Cloud Architect, bringing deep expertise in cloud-native infrastructure design, Kubernetes, and scalable architectures that deliver 99.99% uptime for global commerce operations.

Key achievements:

- Built a global SaaS marketplace platform from the ground up. Architected the transition from monolith to microservices, modernized the stack and implemented a multi-database model.
- Led multiple enterprise migrations to Shopify and other modern commerce platforms, enabling faster go-to-market and lower maintenance costs.
- Designed an AI solution that analyses historical campaign data and predicts the performance of new campaigns, improving marketing decision-making and reducing manual analysis.
- Architected cloud-native infrastructure with Kubernetes, GCP, and CDN services to deliver 99.99% uptime during launches and high-traffic events.
- Directed teams of 50+ engineers, driving delivery across system design, infrastructure, and product scale.
- Mentored teammates on commerce best practices and coding standards and played an active role in recruitment and onboarding to build stronger, future-ready teams.

I combine deep technical expertise with the ability to translate architecture into measurable business outcomes, while also building teams and practices that scale.

Mayank Awasthi

𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.

They just don’t see it.

Leaders promote from their circle.
Not because they are biased,
but because that is the only circle they know.

No one has full visibility into everyone’s impact.
No one can evaluate every contributor impartially at scale.

So decisions get made with incomplete information.

If you are not in the room,
not in the conversation,
not in the narrative,

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

That is why selling yourself is not optional.

→ Share 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, not just effort.
→ Make impact 𝗼𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, not assumed.
→ Build visibility beyond your immediate circle.

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 is not professionalism.
It is 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

So yes, do great work.
But also make sure it is seen, understood and remembered.

Because silence is not humility.
𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.

How do you increase visibility without sounding like a braggart.

#CareerAdvice #CorporateLife #Visibility #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth

Commerce Tech Leader | AI & Cloud Architect (GCP) | 12+ Years Turning Ideas Into Scalable, Shippable Products

𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿.

I still remember the first time this hit me.
I kept waiting, thinking the “right moment” would eventually tap me on the shoulder.

→ A little more clarity.
→ A little more confidence.
→ A little less fear.

But that moment never arrived.

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻.
It was the doorway I pretended not to see.

I avoided decisions because I wasn’t sure which was right.
Not because I feared failing but because I feared choosing wrong.
And yet, every delay made the choice harder.

A few uncomfortable situations taught me something simple.

→ Clarity comes after the step, not before it.
→ Moving early builds more confidence than waiting.
→ The battle you choose matters more than choosing perfectly.

I’ve seen the same story unfold around me.
People stay stuck for years until life pushes them out of their comfort zone.

→ A new role.
→ A new team.
→ A change they didn’t plan for.

And suddenly they grew faster than they ever believed they could.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸.
Just one step outside what feels safe.

→ Try before you feel fully ready.
→ Give yourself room to learn while doing.
→ Accept that life doesn’t wait for perfect timing.

Either it’ll work out or it won’t.
But staying still ensures nothing ever will.

What’s the step you’ve been postponing that might finally move you forward?

#Growth #Mindset #Courage #Leadership #Change #PersonalDevelopment #FearToAction

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮.

It exposed the reality of today’s AI economy.

We don’t have thousands of AI companies.

We have

A few model builders.
And thousands of wrappers.

Most 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 today is

→ UI on top of LLMs.
→ Workflow automation via APIs.
→ Integrations packaged as platforms.

That’s fine.

But let’s call it what it is.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ≠ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 ≠ 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 ≠ 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

As AI adoption grows, leaders must ask

→ Who owns the model.
→ Who owns the IP.
→ Who controls the dependency.
→ Who's just repackaging.

Without owning the foundation, you're just subscribing to someone else's vision.

#AI #Innovation #TechEcosystem #AIIndia #Leadership

𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.
Denying it is.

Someone once asked me,
“Tell me about your failures.”

“I never fail”, I said.
He was surprised.
So was I, why was that answer so surprising?

Ask anyone about failure and you’ll often hear deflection disguised as confidence.

→ It wasn’t my fault.
→ The timing was wrong.
→ The team didn’t deliver.

It always takes a few stumbles to understand.
Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s part of it.

When things go wrong, it’s natural to defend.
But with time and a little honesty, you realize

→ Most of us don’t lack capability.
→ We lack ownership, especially when things fall apart.

We switch jobs, hoping a fresh start will erase our mistakes.
but we leave behind the lessons we needed most.

If you were running a business, would you quit after one failure?
Or would you learn, rebuild and fail better the next time?

The best teams aren’t those who never fail.
They’re the ones who fail together, fix together and grow stronger together.

Because failure isn’t final.
Denial is.

And real courage isn’t loud
It’s quietly choosing to show up again tomorrow.

#Leadership #Growth #Mindset #Resilience #TeamCulture #Learning

Using AI for coding feels less like automation and more like mentoring.

Think of a very capable trainee.

Fast learner.
Reads everything.
Produces code quickly.

But still needs guidance.

If we

→ Define architecture and constraints.
→ Generate implementation.
→ Review assumptions and edge cases.
→ Iterate and stabilize the base.

Productivity compounds.

Once the foundation is right, output accelerates dramatically.

But if we skip that process and just accept whatever AI generates, a different pattern appears.

→ Defects propagate faster.
→ Security vulnerabilities go unnoticed.
→ Systems become harder to maintain.

The risk is not AI.

The risk is assuming it cannot be wrong.

#AIShift #SoftwareEngineering #DeveloperTools #FutureOfWork

For years, engineering leverage came from speed.

Launch faster.
Pack in more features.
Out-deliver.

AI has changed that equation.

When everyone can build quickly, the value comes from deeper understanding, not just raw output.

𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸

→ Writing lots of code.
→ Mastering frameworks.
→ Delivering more tickets.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸

→ Designing the vision.
→ Knowing customer needs.
→ Fitting tech to business goals.
→ Building systems that last.

If competitors can replicate your feature set in weeks using AI, what protects the product?

Not the code.

→ Unique data.
→ Customer behaviour patterns.
→ Integration depth.
→ Distribution advantage.
→ Brand trust.

The best engineers aren’t just generating code.
They design systems now.

#AIShift #SoftwareEngineering #ProductThinking #TechCareers #TechLeadership

Early in my career, I believed the best engineers were the ones who wrote code the fastest.

Twelve years later, my perspective has changed.

The strongest engineers I’ve worked with do something different first.

They pause.

They ask questions.

They simplify the problem before writing a single line of code.

AI tools highlight this even more.

They can generate code instantly.

But speed was never the real bottleneck in building good systems.

Clarity was.

→ Understanding the real problem.
→ Choosing the right constraints.
→ Designing something that still makes sense many years later.

AI accelerates the writing.

Experience shapes the thinking.

And thinking is still the hard part.

#AI #SoftwareEngineering #EngineeringLeadership #DeveloperExperience #Programming

It was a simple task.

→ Draft an email.
→ Clean up some notes.
→ Save a few minutes.

It felt harmless. Helpful, even.

Then I realized something later.

I 𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 much at all.
I had just 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱.

𝗔𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Since then, I’ve heard the same thing from many teammates.

“I know AI matters. I just don’t know how to use it properly.”

That’s not a skill problem.
It’s a thinking shift.

Working with AI isn’t about prompts or tools.
It’s about deciding where our thinking still matters most.

→ AI is great at drafting.
→ We are still better at intent.
→ AI moves fast.
→ We decide what’s worth moving toward.

The people getting real value from AI aren’t trying to master everything.

And you can too.

→ Use one or two tools daily.
→ Automate a task you already understand.
→ Ask clearer questions before asking for output.
→ Treat AI like a junior teammate, not an authority.

Over time, that changes how you work.
And how visible your thinking becomes.

Because the real edge isn’t speed.
It’s combining machine output with our judgment.

So the question isn’t whether AI will change how we work.

It already has.

The actual question is whether 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀.

#AIAtWork #AIInPractice #FutureOfWork #AIAdoption

𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲.

So I was working on a complex problem.

Not the kind you solve in one pass.
Multiple flows. Edge cases. Hidden dependencies.

I turned to AI to speed things up.

Got a solution back.
Looked correct.
Merged it.

Then few cases started failing.

Went back to AI.
Asked for a fix.
Got one.

Still failing.
Different cases this time.

This went on for a while.

On the surface, every solution AI gave me looked right.
But none of them were actually solving the full problem.

So I started tracing the flow manually.

→ What assumptions is this code making?
→ What happens when inputs change?
→ Where does this logic fail?

Eventually found the gap.
The AI-generated solution was 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁.

It solved the obvious path.
But it missed the system constraints.

The interesting part,
It still led me to the right solution.

Very different from what AI suggested.
But reached faster because of it.

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 stayed with me.

→ Planning matters. The clearer your thinking, the better the solution you get.
→ Every solution AI gave me looked correct on the surface. 
If I wasn’t paying attention, it would have gone to production.

This is 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Not that AI gets it wrong.
But that it gets it 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

And if you can’t tell the difference,
and are just accepting outputs

Then at that point

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲.
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱.

#AI #SoftwareEngineering #DeveloperExperience #AICoding #TechLeadership

Two employees joined the same company on the same day.

Both were talented.
Both worked hard.
Both had the same opportunities.

But they worked very differently.

Every day, Rahul spent hours doing everything manually.

→ Research.
→ Drafts.
→ Reports.
→ Emails.

He believed real work meant doing everything himself.

Arjun, on the other hand, had a different approach.

He used AI to

→ Brainstorm ideas.
→ Summarize documents.
→ Draft emails.
→ Automate repetitive tasks.

Rahul worked 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.
Arjun worked 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.

Time passed.

While Rahul was still busy finishing tasks.

Arjun was

→ Presenting better ideas.
→ Leading larger projects.
→ Solving higher-value problems.

Why?

Because while Rahul was working horizontally,
Arjun was moving vertically.

AI didn’t replace Arjun’s work.
It removed the friction around it.

Rahul eventually asked him,
“Don’t you feel weird using AI for your work?”

Arjun smiled and replied,

“I’m not using AI to do my thinking.
I’m using it so I have 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸.”

The future of work isn’t about who 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁.
It’s about who 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁.

And sometimes, the smartest thing you can do
𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.

#AI #FutureOfWork #Productivity #WorkSmarter

If you are a fan of vibe coding,
This one is for you.

Amazon had an outage.
Significant disruption to their website.

Described as a 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁.
Reportedly traced back to 𝗚𝗲𝗻-𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀.

Let that sink in.

Now imagine you are running that site.

Every minute of disruption means

→ Revenue lost.
→ Customer trust shaken.
→ Brand confidence impacted.

AI is now part of the development workflow.
But most organizations have not redesigned their 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 around it.

Teams are facing two common paths.

Either

→ You use AI as a helper.
→ You own the code.
→ You review everything.
→ Slower output. 
→ But you know what's running in production.

Or

→ There's pressure to ship fast.
→ AI tools are everywhere.
→ Delivery is the metric.
→ And somewhere in that rush, quality stops being the goal.

Most teams are leaning toward the second model.

Amazon's fix

Require senior sign-off on all AI-generated PRs.

Fast is fine.
But fast at the cost of stability and security is just a delayed incident.

Either fix the process now.
Or 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼.

#AILeadership #TechStrategy #SoftwareEngineering #AIGovernance

Open article: Amazon holds engineering meeting following AI-related outages by ft.com

Amazon holds engineering meeting following AI-related outages

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸.

Client meeting.

The client suggests adding new features into the current sprint.
The Product Manager is nodding along.

It sounds reasonable.
It sounds collaborative.

The timeline is already tight.

The Lead Developer sees it immediately.
This will derail the current deliverables.

He could push back right there.
Highlight the risk.
Expose the misalignment.

Instead

𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘤 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.

Meeting ends.

One quick message

→ Timeline impact.
→ Trade-offs.
→ Revised scope proposal.

No public conflict.
Client stays confident.
Team stays aligned.

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲.

Sometimes leadership is protecting the team
by 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸.

#Leadership #Execution #Communication #TeamDynamics

𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Motivation feels good.
But it is unreliable.

Most people wait to feel motivated before they act.
That works for a day. Sometimes a week. Then actual work shows up.

Deadlines. Fatigue. Ambiguity. Repetition.

And motivation quietly disappears.

The people who consistently perform do not rely on feelings.

They rely on systems.

→ Clear 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 of what good looks like.
→ 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 that remove daily decision making.
→ 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 that forces follow through.
→ 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 designed to reduce friction.

Motivation reacts to success.
Systems create success.

𝗜𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀
This shows up everywhere.

→ High performers show up even on average days.
→ Strong teams execute without constant pep talks.
→ Leaders build processes, not speeches.

If motivation was enough, consistency would be easy.
But consistency is engineered.

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Start asking:

→ What’s the smallest step you can do every day?
→ What plan still works when you don’t feel like it?
→ What keeps you on track when the hype is gone?

Motivation is a spark.
Systems are the engine.

What system are you relying on when motivation is gone?

#Habits #Discipline #Productivity #Systems #Consistency

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