Writing
One argument
at a time.
Essays on the operating system underneath AI-augmented work. New pieces land here first. Subscribe by email →
These essays build on each other. New here? Start at #1.
-
#4 August 4, 2026AI Rewards the Cleanest System
Every AI team is chasing model upgrades. For an entire class of AI outputs, the model isn't where the leverage lives. There's a third computational paradigm, possibilistic, where you influence rather than control.
framework possibilistic leverageRead essay -
#3 July 28, 2026You Can't Buy an Operating System
Everyone is about to sell you an operating system. A boxed marketing OS, a GTM OS, soon a company OS. The problem isn't that nobody's building one. The problem is that the only operating system worth having is the one you own, and that's the one thing a box can't give you.
framework operating-system substrateRead essay -
#101 July 25, 2026I Analyzed All 693 Comments on Substack's AI Detection Post. The Real Story Is the Comments Nobody Liked.
Last week Substack gave every reader a scan button. Their follow-up post said writers embraced it. I read all 693 comments underneath that post. Every single one. The comments tell a different story than the post, and a more interesting one than the backlash.
ai-detection disclosure writing-with-aiRead essay -
#2 July 21, 2026Don't Standardize the Tool. Standardize the Output.
Every serious AI implementation eventually has to pick between standardizing the tool and standardizing the output. One of those bets keeps compounding. The other locks you into a vendor's roadmap.
framework templates toolsRead essay -
#1 July 14, 2026The Vending Machine Test
Understanding what a customer wants and deciding what to give them are two very different jobs. Most AI failures come from mixing them up.
framework understanding decisionsRead essay
Want the framework these essays build toward?
The AI Operating System is the architecture underneath every essay. Explore it interactively.