Cosmo Tech | The Decision Twin Platform for Supply Chain, Finance & Asset Leaders at Fortune 500 Scale | Simulate Tomorrow. Decide Today.

I specialize in the messy middle of B2B SaaS scaling—taking companies from erratic growth to a disciplined, high-performance revenue engine.

Most sales teams don’t fail because they lack talent; they fail because of ambiguity.
When forecasts can’t be trusted, pipelines move only through founder heroics, and managers report activity instead of owning outcomes, you don’t need another playbook—you need an operating system.

My operating philosophy: Cadence | Ownership | Process

I install a repeatable flywheel of operational excellence:

Cadence
A rigorous Rhythm of Business—daily, weekly, and monthly operating cadence that surfaces execution risk early, before it becomes a board-level surprise.

Ownership
Managers own outcomes, not just activity. Forecasts are built bottom-up so leadership can commit without caveats.

Process
Qualification and execution are standardized before adding headcount, ensuring hiring is tied to capacity and real revenue impact—not hope.

The proof (Ekahau — SVP, Global Sales, 2019–2024)
	•	Revenue: Scaled $25M → $65M ARR in five years
	•	EBITDA: Increased $7M → $32M (margins ~20% → ~50%)
	•	Team: Built a 130-person global organization while reducing per-employee cost 25%

Selected wins
	•	Healthentic: Doubled ACV ($5M → $10M) and drove 10× pipeline growth through GTM transformation
	•	ControlCase: Delivered 34% YoY growth and 300% expansion revenue growth

Currently

Available for VP of Sales or Fractional GTM leadership with B2B SaaS companies $5M–$30M ARR. I also lead SalesGSS (revenue operating frameworks) and DigitalRegIntel (regulatory intelligence for AI/fintech).

The Senator perspective

Two terms as a Washington State Senator taught me the value of high-stakes negotiation and public accountability. I bring that same discipline to sales: clear ownership and execution when the pressure is real.

“Steve is ‘Instant Offense’ for sales—rare and valuable. World-class at creating strategic, data-driven sales teams.”
— Jeff O’Mara, CEO (Healthentic) / GM (Ekahau)

Steve Litzow

If revenue per employee is flat while headcount rises, you’re not scaling. You’re diluting.

Most $10M–$50M ARR teams are measuring the wrong thing.
They celebrate hiring.

Elite teams watch revenue per employee.

Here’s what 2026 is quietly proving:
Growth doesn’t stall because opportunity disappeared.

It stalls because attention fragmented.
New ICP.
New vertical.
New pricing model.
New feature set.
New partnership.
All rational.
All defensible.

Collectively? Expensive.

Revenue per employee isn’t a finance metric.
It’s a focus metric.

Bootstrapped SaaS companies at $1M–$3M ARR average ~$110K per employee.

Equity-backed peers average ~$94K.

Capital didn’t create the gap.

Discipline did.

Fragmentation increases decision latency.

Decision latency expands Signal-to-Action Time.

And once SAT expands, velocity stops compounding.
You don’t lose because you’re wrong.

You lose because complexity expands faster than discipline.

Pressure test your system:
• If you asked three reps to define your ICP, would they say the same thing?
• Do your top 20 deals look similar — or random?
• Has revenue per employee improved in the last two quarters — or are you hiring into flat output?
• When was the last time you killed an initiative?

Elite teams don’t run more plays.
They run fewer — with intensity.

Focus multiplies revenue per employee.
Complexity multiplies meetings.

Week 7 of the 2026 Operating Series.

Link in comments.

VP of Sales | Scaled $25M → $65M ARR | Operating Discipline for Growth & Scrutiny

FinCEN just made compliance easier.

That’s exactly why your documentation burden increased.

On February 13, FinCEN eliminated beneficial ownership verification at every account opening.

The same day, SEC Chairman Atkins testified that current crypto guidance isn’t “future-proof” without legislation.

That’s not regulatory confusion.

It’s the new supervisory model.

Fewer procedural checkboxes.
Higher expectations for documented judgment.

When regulators give you discretion, they’re not giving you a pass.

They’re giving you a decision to defend.

24–36 months from now, no one will ask:

“Did you follow the rule that no longer exists?”

They’ll ask:

• Why did you reduce controls?
• What risk assessment supported that?
• Who reviewed it?
• Where is the record?

Relief does not eliminate supervisory liability.

It reallocates it.

This week’s DRI Supervisory Brief covers:

→ FinCEN CDD relief and the judgment gap it creates
→ SEC-CFTC coordination that lacks statutory permanence
→ FinCEN’s data-driven enforcement model
→ EU AI Act entering pre-enforcement phase

Link in comments.

No new rule last week.

That’s the risk.

On Feb 13, FinCEN quietly operationalized its whistleblower portal.

Now AML, AI governance, and digital asset supervision gaps can be reported directly to enforcement — before an exam ever starts.

This changes the timeline.

Enforcement is no longer tied to regulatory cycles.

It’s tied to internal observation.

An email.
A Slack message.
A deferred monitoring upgrade.

Those can now become time-stamped federal evidence.

The real shift isn’t rulemaking.

It’s attribution infrastructure.

When regulators look back 24–36 months from now, the question won’t be:

“Did you know the rule?”

It will be:

“Can you prove you supervised in real time?”

Documentation is no longer defensive.

It’s existential.

Full breakdown in this week’s Brief. (Link in comments.)

US enforcement is accelerating through whistleblower infrastructure.

EU regulation is accelerating through statutory documentation and logging requirements.

Different systems.

Same burden.

You must be able to prove:

• What management knew
• When it knew it
• How it assessed applicability
• What action (or deferral) followed

Frameworks don’t fail companies.

Missing chronology does.

Your deal didn’t lose to a competitor.

It died in a conference room.

40–60% of B2B deals end in “no decision.”

Not lost.

Just never aligned.

At $10M–$50M ARR, most teams still sell to a champion.

But the real sale is to the committee.

If a deal is single-threaded beyond day 45, your forecast isn’t aggressive.

It’s structurally optimistic.

This week’s issue breaks down how elite teams prevent ghost pipeline.

Comment PLAYBOOK and I’ll send it.

I use VAs and AI to save company owners 5+ hours a day by completing their tasks.| Marketing for startups and enterprises since 2012 | Founder of Dotcom Quest

It took me years of trial and error to figure out how to grow followers and generate leads.

Now, I’m giving away the entire strategy at FREE.

Back in 2012, I was hustling for Las Vegas clubs, trying to generate leads in one of the toughest markets in the world.

I had no budget.
I had no fancy tools.
I had no clue what would work.

After years of testing, failing, and refining, I cracked the code for predictable growth and steady leads on social media.

I used this system to grow my LinkedIn to over 10,000 followers and consistently generate leads ➜ all without paid ads or guesswork.

Now, I’m sharing that exact system in LinkedIn Launchpad which is a course and community of professionals focused on growth and results.

Here’s what you’ll get:
🚀 Proven strategies to grow your next 5,000 followers (or more).
🚀 A step-by-step system to start landing leads by the end of the month.
🚀 Support from a like-minded community committed to success.

Here’s what you DON’T need:
❌ A huge following to start.
❌ Expensive tools or ads.
❌ To be great on camera.

In this course and community, you’ll:
✅ Grow your audience quickly and predictably.
✅ Turn your connections into inbound leads.
✅ Land clients through authentic, no-pressure outreach.

If I could figure this out from scratch, imagine what you can do with the system in your hands.

Click link in bio to join at no cost and start building your audience and generating leads today.

Ricky Waters

Your AI writing sounds fake.

Here's the cheat sheet to fix it today.

Most people write one of the top 300 used AI phrases and don't even realize it.

Forbes even tracked these AI phrases across millions of posts.

"Provide a valuable insight" = 182x more common in AI writing.

Your readers can feel it. Even if they can't name it.

Here's 5 signs you sound like AI:

1. Every sentence is the same length 
2. Vague claims with zero proof: "highly effective" for who?
3. You end with "In conclusion..." Delete it. 
4. You say you "learned the hard way" but never say what happened (AI can't tell your real story)
5. You use "Furthermore" and "Moreover" if you can delete it, delete it

Here's 5 ways to sound more human:
1. Record yourself talking. Transcribe it. That's your draft. 
2. Use "I" and real stories. Specifics beat generalities every time. 
3. Write like a 5th grader. If grandma wouldn't say it, cut it. 
4. Replace adjectives with numbers. "7 things I learned from" hits harder than "extensive experience." 
5. Take a real stance. If your take doesn't annoy someone, it's too safe.

Save this. You'll use it every day.

----

📌 Join 1,400+ creators learning to use AI without sounding like a robot: 
(Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help someone in your network be human again
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

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Join FREE LinkedIn Course + Skool Community With 1.4k+ Creators ➜ Click Bio Link

If you're not using AI on LinkedIn

Here's the 1-sheet that fixes everything:

It still surprises me how many creators are avoiding AI.

Or worse using it badly.

Most of that comes down to confusion.
Not about what AI is.
But what it's actually for.

AI doesn't just help you write content faster.

It helps you think, plan, and operate at a higher level.

Here's the full blueprint:

1. Audience Research
↳ Find where your ICP speaks honestly,Reddit, Skool, communities
↳ Build their 10 desires, 10 dreams, 10 fears with AI
↳ Lock in your positioning: "I help [audience] achieve [transformation] through [method]"

2. Content Pillars
↳ Pick 3-4 topics and own them forever
↳ The algorithm rewards consistency - post on them every single week
↳ 3-4 pillars × 5 angles each = unlimited content ideas

3. Content Creation With AI
↳ Research top creators before you write anything
↳ Run deep research on your topic to find real data and pain-point language
↳ Use COSTAR to brief your content, then add the story only you can tell

4. Create Your Own Voice
↳ Build specialized bots, not one generic "LinkedIn assistant"
↳ Feed them your top posts, frameworks, and screenshots
↳ They get smarter every time you use them

5. AI Do's and Don'ts:
✅ Train AI on your actual voice and stories
✅ Use AI output as a starting point - not a final draft
✅ Apply the read-aloud test before every post
🚫 Publish raw AI output
🚫 Use vague prompts like "write a post about X"
🚫 Forget to fact-check

AI isn't a passing trend.

It's the biggest competitive advantage available to creators right now.

The creators winning on LinkedIn aren't working harder.

They built a better system.

---- 

📌 Want to learn this system for free?
Join 1,400+ AI content creators here: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help your network stop falling behind.
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

Your LinkedIn profile is open 24 hours a day.

Here's how to make it convert while you sleep:

When someone lands on your profile, they're curious. 

They want to know more. 

But if they don't immediately understand what you do, they leave.

Here's the profile optimization checklist I use:

1. Banner 
↳ One message. One CTA. Show social proof. Keep it clutter-free.

2. Profile Photo 
↳ HD, close-up, clean background. Pay for a shoot if you have to.

3. Headline 
↳ Who you help + how you help + proof. Speaks directly to your ICP.

4. About Section 
↳ Tell your transformation. Answer objections. End with a clear CTA.

5/.Featured Section 
↳ Max 3 items. Give them a reason to click. This is your bridge to the landing page.

6. Actual Landing Page 
↳ One message. One offer. Answer every objection in your copy.

7. Track Metrics 
↳ Profile views, link clicks, opt-in rate. Test one thing at a time.

Content gets you seen.

Your profile decides if people stay.

One hour of optimization today can create opportunities all year.

📌 Want the full system I used to get 1,400 leads? (Click link in bio)
♻️ Repost this to someone posting daily but getting no leads.
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more on LinkedIn growth and AI.

Breaking news: ChatGPT 5.4 just dropped.

Here's everything that changed:

1. Smarter Knowledge Work
↳ Way better at spreadsheets, presentations & long docs
↳ 33% fewer factual errors vs GPT-5.3

2. Computer Hands & Eyes
↳ First model to natively see your screen and understand images
↳ Uses a virtual mouse & keyboard, clicks and types like a human

3. Faster Coding
↳ 1.5x faster code generation with /fast mode
↳ Builds and tests apps simultaneously, catching bugs in real time

4. Master Tool-Picker
↳ Searches thousands of tools to find the right one instantly
↳ Massively improved web search for hard-to-find info.

5. You Stay in Control
↳ Shows its plan before starting any complex task
↳ You can interrupt and redirect mid-response

6. Extra Strong Safety
↳ Rated "high cyber capability,"  expanded safety stack deployed
↳ OpenAI monitors its chain-of-thought to catch hidden reasoning

7. Available Now, (API Costs a Bit More)
↳ Live in ChatGPT, Codex & the API
↳ Higher per-token cost, but uses fewer tokens to finish tasks

Here's my honest take as someone who builds with AI daily:

This is a big deal for developers.

I've been on the Codex $20/month plan since 5.3 launched.

Why? Claude's Pro plan runs out of credits after 3-4 prompts in Claude Code, & the API alternative? Hundreds sometimes thousands per month.

Codex gave me 95% of the quality for a fraction of the cost.

5.4 just made that even more true.

If you're building with AI and haven't looked at the Codex plan, now's the time.

♻️ Repost to help your network stay ahead of AI
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more on AI and LinkedIn growth.

16 LinkedIn Posts Worth More Than Paid courses:

1. Travis Moh☘️: https://lnkd.in/eTPCXGSK

2. Anna York: https://lnkd.in/erXmEHUX

3. Charlie Hills 🦩: https://lnkd.in/eNxa7avx?

4. Martin Crowley: https://lnkd.in/ea2yEbSG?

5. Matt Lakajev: Link: https://lnkd.in/eRfAGsYu?

https://lnkd.in/ex5Meiam

6.Nick Broekema: https://lnkd.in/e72yYbrE?

7. Vaibhav Aggarwal: https://lnkd.in/eA-fd6wp

8. Jérémy Grandillon: https://lnkd.in/epF2y-c4

9. Simon Schmitz: https://lnkd.in/eRG-mRjC

10. Bray Jaks: https://lnkd.in/eEv2-TyD

11. Daniel Korenblum: https://lnkd.in/eN8cgMD4

12. Audrey Chia: https://lnkd.in/eFk7J32Y

13. Ron Medlin: https://lnkd.in/e56TDfDB

14. Lara Acosta: https://lnkd.in/e2_4avj9

15. Tomas Loucky: https://lnkd.in/ejTTh5F4

16: Nathan Hirsch: https://lnkd.in/e4J-dRKV

Swipe through. Every post is linked to the original.

📌 Join my free community of AI content creators (Link in Bio)
♻️ Repost to share the best free education on LinkedIn.
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more on AI and LinkedIn growth.

16 LinkedIn Posts Worth More Than Paid courses

The AI race just changed overnight.

You must know this for 2026 or fall behind:

Every major AI model upgraded in February 2026.

All at once, and the big theme? 

AI coding for non-coders.

Here's the 60-second breakdown:

1. The Big Shift
↳ Every major AI upgraded at the same time
↳ The focus is AI coding
↳For the first time, non-coders can build real products. Your idea is now your only barrier

2. Claude Sonnet 4.6
↳ Flagship quality. Mid-tier price
↳ Near-Opus quality at 5x lower cost
↳ Best for: coding, writing, strategy, creative thinking
↳ The smart upgrade most people are missing

3. ChatGPT Codex
↳Fast. Cheap. Good enough
↳15x faster than previous versions
↳ Bundled with ChatGPT Plus at no extra cost
↳ 90-95% as capable as Claude's model for most everyday tasks

4. Gemini 3.1 Pro
↳ Google just doubled its reasoning
↳ Built into Docs, NotebookLM, Android
↳ Best for: anyone in the Google ecosystem

5. Kimi K2.5
↳90% cheaper. Surprisingly capable
↳ Can coordinates 100 AI agents cost effectively
↳ Best for: high-volume, cost-sensitive workflows

6. The Claude Controversy
↳ Anthropic quietly changed their rules, Can't use subscription outside of their website.
↳ Which means subscribers locked out of tools like OpenClaw
↳ Felt like a bait-and-switch.
↳ Some devs are already switching to ChatGPT Codex

7. The Real Takeaway For You
↳ The race isn't just about coding
↳ It's about how to turn turn ideas into products faster
↳ You don't need a dev
↳ You need to know which tool to use and when

Here's how real this shift is:

My wife is a software engineer. 

Last year, I couldn't build anything without her.

She'd review my code. Fix my mistakes. 

Even simple tools took weeks.

Last week I built 3 working apps. Alone.

She didn't touch the code. She didn't need to.

They just work.

The part that blew my mind?

Last year I paid an assistant 2 full days to research info for a lead magnet.

One tool I built now does that in 5 minutes. One click.

That's the kind of leverage we're talking about.

📌 I break down AI tools and strategies every week. Join 1,400+ AI Content Creators learning for free: (Link in bio
♻️ Repost so your network doesn't fall behind. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

I hit 100K impressions the last 7 days studying hooks from top creators.

(Here are the 7 types that made the difference)

Most creators spend 2 hours writing a post.

But then it flops.

Not because the content was bad.

Because the first line didn't earn the second line.

Your hook is the only thing standing between you and the scroll.

You have seconds to: 

✅ Trigger emotion 
✅ Create curiosity 
✅ Stop the thumb

Here are the 7 hook types that always work:

1. Authority Hook 
↳ Lead with proof. Numbers. Results. Credentials. 
↳ ↳ "I hit 100K impressions in the last 7 days studying hooks from top creators."

2. Transformation Story 
↳ Specific timeframe + specific change = instant curiosity. 
↳ "6 months ago I stopped posting without a strategy. Here's what changed:"

3. Bold Challenge 
↳ Flip a belief your audience holds. Then explain calmly.
↳ "Consistency isn't about posting daily. It's about showing up with intention."

4. Direct Question 
↳ Ask something specific that makes them stop and think. 
↳ "Why do your posts get views but zero clients?"

5. How-To Promise 
↳ Clear outcome + removed obstacle = irresistible hook. 
↳ "How to turn 10 DMs into 3 clients (without sounding salesy.)"

6. Curiosity Gap 
↳ Say just enough to make them need to know more. 
↳ "A $12 strategy beat my $10,000 ad campaign."

7. Vulnerability 
↳ Own a failure. People trust you more when you do. 
↳ "I thought I mastered copywriting. Until this one post flopped completely."

Most people write a hook like this: 
"I tried some things and got some results. Here's my advice."

No numbers. No proof. No curiosity. No reason to keep reading.

The good news?

Every bad hook has a fix.

And every fix takes under 60 seconds once you know the formula.

📌 Want to learn how to write content that actually builds your audience? Join 1,400+ creators in our free AI Content Creators community: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help others write better hooks. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

Here's the exact LinkedIn schedule that generated 1,400+ leads for me on LinkedIn. Grab your coffee.

Most creators post and pray. 

But the top creators follow a system.

Here's mine:

1. 6:00am: Coffee + mindset 
↳ Review your day before it starts 
↳ Sets the tone for everything that follows

2. 6:30am: Reply to every DM 
↳ Follow up on warm leads from yesterday 
↳ Relationship momentum compounds daily

3. 7:00am: Comment on 10-15 posts 
↳ Add real value 
↳ Gets your name visible before your content goes live

4. 7:30am: Publish your post 
↳ Draft was saved the night before 
↳ Respond to every comment in the first 30 minutes 
↳ Early engagement signals tell the algorithm to push your reach

5. 8:00am: Create tomorrow's content 
↳ Batch while your brain is fresh 
↳ Never scramble, never post desperate content

6. 9:00pm: Build your systems 
↳ DM scripts, templates, SOPs, automations 
↳ Work ON the business, not just IN it

7. 9:30pm: Research 
↳ Study 3+ viral posts in your niche 
↳ Your brain processes it while you sleep

Now here's the part nobody talks about.

You have to protect this schedule like your income depends on it.

Because it does.

Kid gets sick? 
Do it after they fall asleep. 

Dentist appointment ran long? 
Do it when you get home. 

Break your ankle?..

Okay fine. Take one day off. But you better be posting from the waiting room before that cast dries!

The people who win on LinkedIn aren't the most talented. 

They're the ones who stick to the schedule.

Every. Single. Day.

📌 Want to build a content system that actually generates leads? Join 1,400+ creators in my free AI Content Creators group: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help your network stop winging it. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

I read every official AI prompt guide I could find.

Here's the mega prompt they all agreed on. 👇

Most people write AI prompts like this:

"Write me a sales page for my fitness coaching business."

Then they wonder why the output sounds like everyone else.

The problem isn't the AI. It's that you gave it nothing to work with.

After studying the official prompt frameworks from OpenAI, Google, and MIT, I built a research backed mega-prompt that changes everything.

Here's what makes it different:

1.Role & Identity
Tell the AI exactly who it's playing
"Senior Direct-Response Copywriter in the health space" > "copywriter"

2. Core Objective
One clear task, no ambiguity
The more specific, the better the output

3. Deep Context
Your audience, their pain points, their objections
This is where most people skip - and where most AI outputs fail

4. Guardrails
Tell it what NOT to do
Zero jargon. Emotional copy only. No fluff.

5. Structure & Voice
Give it a framework to follow (PAS, AIDA, etc.)
Define the tone so it sounds like you

6. Chain-of-Thought
Break the task into steps
Brainstorm first, write second, refine third

7. Feedback Loop
Ask it to ask YOU clarifying questions before writing
This alone improves output quality by 10x

The best part?

You build it once. Then plug it into any task, any niche, any offer, any platform.

----

📌 Want to learn how to use AI to build your personal brand? Join my free 1.4K+ AI Content Creators community: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help your network prompt AI properly. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

Most people are still playing by LinkedIn's old rules.

Here's everything that changed for 2026:

Old LinkedIn rewarded hustle.

Post every day. Stack badges. Chase hashtags.

New LinkedIn rewards something different.

It rewards being a real person with real opinions.

Here's the full breakdown:

1. Personal brands crush corporate pages 
↳ Companies spent millions building brand pages 
↳ Now a single creator with a phone beats them

2. AI reads and analyzes your content 
↳ Every post gets judged on its own merit 
↳ Your track record no longer follows you everywhere

3. Visual-first content wins 
↳ Text-only posts used to thrive here 
↳ Now images and carousels dominate reach

4. Strategic profiles signal expertise 
↳ Your profile is now a landing page 
↳ If it doesn't communicate value instantly, you lose

5. Small creators get algorithmic advantages 
↳ LinkedIn is actively boosting new voices 
↳ This is the best time to start

6. Quality over quantity dominates 
↳ Posting daily used to be the hack 
↳ Now 2 great posts beat 14 average ones

The people growing fastest right now figured this out early.

They stopped playing old LinkedIn. 
They started playing new LinkedIn.

The window is open. But it won't stay open forever.

📌 Want to learn how to build your brand with AI? Join 1,400+ creators doing it for free: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help your network stop using outdated tactics. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

Let me introduce you to my team of 7

All free and none of them are human.

Here's the full-stack AI org chart for solopreneurs:

1. CEO: You 
↳ Strategic vision. The big calls. Still on you.

CMO (Chief Marketing Officer): Claude 
↳ Writes your content. Runs your brand voice. 
↳ Replaces ghostwriters and copywriters.

CRDO (Chief Research & Development Officer): Perplexity 
↳ Deep research. Finds truth fast. 
↳ Replaces hours of manual digging.

CTO (Chief Technology Officer): Antigravity 
↳ Builds and manages your tech infrastructure. 
↳ No dev team needed.

SR. SWE (Senior Software Engineer): ChatGPT Codex 
↳ Ships code. Squashes bugs. 
↳ Replaces your first engineering hire.

CDO (Chief Design Officer): Gemini 
↳ Designs visuals. Owns your aesthetic. 
↳ Replaces your graphic designer.

CVE (Chief Video Editor): CapCut 
↳ Cuts, edits, makes content scroll-worthy. 
↳ Replaces your video editor.

Most people think building a business solo means doing everything yourself.

It doesn't.

It means assembling the right team.

Even if that team runs on AI.

📌 Want to learn how to build yours? Join 1,400+ creators in my free AI Creators community (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help a solopreneur on your feed. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more on AI and LinkedIn growth.

Stop looking cringe with old AI tools. 

Here are the 9 tools I (actually) use in 2026:

1. Claude → replaced ChatGPT Better at writing. Better at reasoning. And it doesn't sound like a robot wrote it.

2. ChatGPT Codex → replaced hiring developers. Describe what you want built. It writes the code. I've built real tools that I use to have to pay for.

3. Wispr Flow → replaced my keyboard I talk. It types. And it keeps training on my voice. My output went from 80 WPM to 200+.

4. NotebookLM → replaced scattered research Upload any source. Ask anything. It's like having a researcher on call 24/7.

5. Grok → replaced Google Real-time answers. Up-to-date news, No 10 blue links. I ask questions and actually get answers.

6. Remotion → replaced manual video production Vdeo at scale. What took 4 hours now takes 4 minutes.

7. Antigravity → replaced coding software. Plug ChatGPT Codex into it and you have a full-stack developing system.

8. OpenClaw → replaced manual workflows. Automates the tedious stuff I was doing by hand. Runs while I sleep.

9. Meta Rayban → replaced taking my phone out Hands-free AI on your face. 

You have to try it to believe it.

2025 tools made you work. 
2026 tools work for you.

Save this. 
Try one tool this week. 
Thank me later.

----

📌 Join the 1,400+ AI content creators commuinity  learning this daily (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost this so your network stops sleeping on these tools. 
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more on AI and productivity.

AI doesn't have a brain.

It has a browsing history.

A SEMrush study of 150,000 citations broke down exactly where AI gets its facts.

And the #1 source?
Reddit. At 40.1%.

-Not peer-reviewed journals. 
-Not expert databases. 
-But Reddit.

Here's what the full breakdown looks like:

Reddit: 40.1% 
↳ Unfiltered opinions from strangers on the internet

Wikipedia: 26.3% 
↳ Crowd-sourced, anyone-can-edit knowledge

YouTube: 23.5% 
↳ Tutorials and hot takes from creators

Google: 23.3% 
↳ The web, indexed and ranked

Facebook: 20.0% 
↳ Your uncle's posts and community groups

The uncomfortable truth?
When you ask AI a question, you're not always getting expert knowledge.

You're getting a remix of what the internet already said.

This doesn't mean you need to throw everything out.

It just means you should check your sources or get an expert opinion when doing something important.

----

📌 Want to use AI smarter? 
Join 1,400+ creators in my free AI content group: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost this to help your network stop trusting AI blindly.
➕ Follow Ricky Waters for more like this.

Everyone's talking about AI.

But most people don't even know what half the words mean.

LLM. RAG. Agentic Workflow. MCP.

They just nod and hope nobody asks them to explain it.

I've been deep in the AI space for a while now.

And the #1 thing that holds people back isn't the tools.
It's the language.

Once you understand the terms, everything clicks.

So I put together 45 of the most important AI keywords.

Explained simply. No tech background needed.

Here are a few that people always get wrong:

1. LLM (Large Language Model)
 ↳ The AI brain that reads billions of words and learns to communicate like a human. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini - all LLMs.

2. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) 
↳ When AI searches YOUR documents before answering. Much more accurate than guessing.

3. Agentic Workflow 
↳ Multiple AI agents working together to complete one big task. Automatically.

4. Fine-Tuning 
↳ Giving AI extra training on YOUR specific content so it performs your tasks better.

5. Tokens 
↳ Tiny word chunks AI breaks text into so it can read and process your message.

6. Context Window 
↳ How much text an AI can read and remember at once during a conversation.

7. MCP (Model Context Protocol) ↳ A universal standard that lets your AI control apps and talk back and forth with them.

Read the graphic for 38 more important concepts you need to know.

Save this post to read through a couple times. 
You'll never be lost during a convo about AI again. 

P.S. Any terms missing from the list? Comment below.

----

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Organic reach is down 50% on LinkedIn. 

But something surprising is happening...

In the last few months, the algorithm has shifted dramatically.

It looks nothing like it did when I first started growing here.

Reach is collapsing for most creators. 
Follower growth is down 59% across the board. 
98% of people are seeing a decline.

Yet a small group is growing faster than ever.

So what are they doing differently?

I spent weeks digging into this. 
Not looking for recycled advice. 

Real patterns. Real data.

Here's what's actually working in 2026 👇

Saves now beat everything. 
↳ Frameworks, checklists, content people bookmark and return to. 
↳ A save resurfaces your post in feeds for weeks, a like does not.

The first 60 minutes decide your reach. 
↳ Respond to every comment within 30 minutes of posting. 
↳ That single habit drives 64% more comments on average.

Links are no longer the enemy. 
↳ Posts with 3+ valuable links get 236% better reach. 
↳ Stop burying them in comments, put them in the post.

Carousels work, but only when completed. 
↳ 8-10 slides max, storytelling format not a tip list. 
↳ Low completion rate tanks your distribution.

Personal story hooks are winning. 
↳ The contrarian opinion format is oversaturated and dying. 
↳ People scroll past debate bait. They stop for real stories.

Comments beat likes, but quality matters. 
↳ Top creators leave 150-200 thoughtful comments per week. 

The creators growing in 2026 aren't luckier than you. 

They just stopped using the 2024 playbook.

Posts now live 2-3 weeks instead of 24 hours. 

Only 1% of users post weekly.

That's not a threat. 

That's an opportunity.

----

♻️ Repost this to help your network stop losing reach.
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I built a real app without writing a single line of code.

Total cost: Just my ChatGPT subscription.

No expensive API keys. 
No $1+ per prompt charges.
No previous coding knowledge

Here's the setup nobody talks about:

Most people vibe coding are doing it the expensive way.

They connect Claude's API directly. 
Hit the strict limits. 
Watch their bill climb to hundreds a month.

There's a better way.

Antigravity + OpenCode + your existing ChatGPT Pro subscription.

That's the whole stack.

And it's super simple to set up.

Here's why it works:

Antigravity is Google's free AI-first coding IDE 
↳ Write in plain English, ChatGPT builds the app

OpenCode connects your ChatGPT subscription directly inside Antigravity ↳ No extra API costs. Ever.

ChatGPT Codex 5.4 delivers 95% of Claude Code quality
 ↳ At a fraction of the price

Want to get started? Just follow the guide:
8 steps. 10 minutes. 
You're building real apps.

42% of all code is now written by AI. 

Non-coders are building real products in 2026.

The barrier to becoming a developer just disappeared.

The only question is what you're going to build first.

📌 I break down AI tools like this every week inside my free AI Content Creators community. Click link in bio to join 1.4k+ creators. 
♻️ Repost this to the person still paying hundreds in API costs. 
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Most people quit LinkedIn after just a few posts. 

Because nobody prepared them for what comes next.

I get it.

You write something. 
Hit post. 
Watch it get 3 likes. 

And think "this isn't for me."

But that's not a LinkedIn problem. 

That's a missing roadmap problem.
The people who win on LinkedIn aren't more talented. 

They just started with the full picture.

Here it is:

1. Research and build your foundation first 
↳ Find your audience's exact pain points before you write a single word

2. Build a content plan around 2-3 pillars (topics you post about)
↳ Don't confuse people. Give them one reason to follow you.

3. Build your network on purpose 
↳ Top creators treat LinkedIn like a 2-way networking event

4. Stick to a schedule you can actually keep 
↳ LinkedIn rewards habits. Not bursts of inspiration.

5. Take your audience off platform 
↳ Algorithm changes overnight. Own your list.

6. Track, reflect and scale with AI 
↳ Remove the guesswork. Double down on what works.

Simple. 
Not easy. 
But finally a complete picture.

📌 Want to build your personal brand with AI doing the heavy lifting? 1,400+ creators are already inside: (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost this to someone who quit LinkedIn before they had a real shot. 
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Running out of content ideas is not a creativity problem.

It's a system problem.

I used to sit down to write and feel completely blank.

No ideas. No inspiration. No post.
So I built a system instead.

Now I never miss a day.

Here are the 9 sources I go back to every single time:

1. Search YouTube
 ↳ Look at how top creators structure and title their content
 ↳ Make a list of recurring formats you can adapt

2. Analyze Top Creators
 ↳ Study what's working in your niche on other platforms
 ↳ Steal the structure and remix, don't completely copy

3. Use ChatGPT
 ↳ Feed it your audience's pain points
 ↳ Ask it for 20 hook angles or big ideas on one topic

4. Remix Other Niches
 ↳ Search unrelated industries for viral posts
 ↳ Ask: "How could I reframe this to my topic for my audience?"

5. Run Experiments
 ↳ Hot takes. Behind-the-scenes. Your own frameworks.
 ↳ Take a shot at your own unique ideas

6. Repurpose Every 3-4 Months
 ↳ Carousels → infographics
 ↳ Long posts → tweet-style hooks
 ↳ Same idea. Fresh format.

7. Repost With Minor Tweaks
 ↳ Don't reinvent the wheel
 ↳ Tweak the headline or change how you package it.

8. Collaborate With Creators
 ↳ Exchange ideas. Tap into each other's audiences.
 ↳ Co-create a carousel or brainstorm together

9. Turn Engagement Into Content
 ↳ Your comments section is a goldmine
 ↳ Your audience is literally telling you what to post next

The blank screen feeling isn't real.

It's just what happens before you have a system.

Build the system. The ideas follow.

----

📌 Want to use AI to never run out of content again? Join 1.4K creators learning exactly that → (Link in bio)
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Everyone's breaking up with ChatGPT for Claude right now. 

At least take your stuff when you leave:

ChatGPT has been learning about you for months.

Your tone. 
Your projects. 
Your preferences. 
How you like things explained.

Most people switching to Claude just abandon all of that.

They start from scratch. 
Spend weeks re-training a new AI from zero. 

It's slow. 
It's frustrating. 
And it's completely unnecessary.

Here's how to transfer your memory in 5 minutes:

1. Go to ChatGPT Settings → Personalization → Memory → Manage 
↳ Review everything it knows about you. Copy it all.

2. Ask ChatGPT to package up your full memory list 
↳ Use the prompt in the infographic. It pulls your tone, projects, preferences, everything.

3. Open Claude → Settings → Capabilities → Import Memory 
↳ Find "Import memory from other AI providers." Click Start Import.

4. Paste your ChatGPT memories into Claude 
↳ Claude shows an import screen. Paste everything. Click "Add to memory."

Claude now knows you 
↳ It builds your full profile and updates every night automatically.

No more starting over. 
No more copy-pasting context into every single chat.

Works on the free plan too.

I've been using Claude as my main AI for months. 

This is what made the switch actually stick.

Are you using Claude as your main AI now too?

-----


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AI will replace most of what you do for work.

These 8 skills are your only insurance.

My wife is a software engineer.

Last week, an AI company paid her to evaluate which AI coding outputs were better.

I watched her do it and thought:
She's training the AI to replace her.

Not today. Not tomorrow.
But the handoff has already started.

And most people have no idea it's happening to them too.

The people who survive this won't be the ones who knew the most tools.

They'll be the ones who mastered the skills no model can replicate:

-Strategic thinking. 
-Adaptability. 
-Creative problem solving.
-The ability to lead people.
-To communicate like a human.
-To stay curious when everyone else gets comfortable.

AI is extraordinary at executing.

It's still terrible at being human.

That's your edge.

Protect it.

📌 Join 1.4k+ AI content creators learning to stay ahead → (Link in bio)
♻️ Repost to help your network futureproof themselves.
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The Battle

Steve Litzow

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Steve Litzow's LinkedIn Performance

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