Ogden Kent

The newest issue of The Pragmatic Engineer found a surprise uptick in eng hiring in the typically slow summer season - I'm curious to see how the macro environment impacts this uptick as we head into the fall, but I remain hopeful. I asked Gemini to give me the tldr of the article to share with my team (sorry, Gergely Orosz) and found it missed one of the most interesting pieces of the article. Gemini's highlights - Unexpected surge: Tech recruitment has seen an unusual spike in June and July, contrary to typical trends. Increased demand: Startups, especially AI-focused ones, are driving the hiring uptick. Global phenomenon: This trend isn't just limited to the US; Europe is also experiencing increased recruitment activity. Reasons for hiring: Companies are backfilling positions, investing in growth due to improved financials, and responding to increased VC funding. Challenges remain: While the job market is improving, finding qualified candidates and offering competitive compensation remains difficult for many companies. What I found most interesting - The nature of the backfills: the article finds that a lot of new headcount are actually backfills of folks that were "over-slashed" during rounds of layoffs. Not entirely surprising with the "trim the fat" and "rebuild lean" mentality, but interesting nonetheless. Either way, the uptick is encouraging (and don't always rely on Gemini's tldrs). #hiring #startups #VCbacked #softwareengineering

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Some context from the #Founder perspective. As liberal as Seattle is as a city with policy and politics, it's incredibly conservative from an investment standpoint. One of the reasons you may not hear big "home-run" type pitches or pitches with sizzle, is simply because investors in Seattle don't like those types of pitches and Founders have been ingrained to not present in that manner. They may say they do, but ask any Founder and they'll tell you how they have been told to size down their pitch or talk about MVPs, first customer, first revenue, etc. or how what matters more is what you can do first couple years rather than the home run. Those early metrics are important by the way, but different from the big home run. Do you know who is receptive to homerun pitches? Investors in the Bay, NYC, Miami, Hong Kong. Seattle is not great for early-stage Founders with many prioritizing raising outside the city. We will be raising capital in the fall and as of now, have no plans of reaching out to Seattle-based VCs. I should also add that our company has a blockchain component and sadly Seattle VCs have not embraced crypto or blockchain. Welcome to #Seattle, Kyle Lui! Hopefully, you can help change the narrative! GeekWire

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After a year of work my book Building A Startup - A Primer For The Individual Contributor is finally available! https://lnkd.in/erThxvpP If you’re working in or around startups as an IC or technical leader this book is for you. It’s based on 20 years of startup work and will help set you up for success to do more with less, move faster and more correct, and spend more time building features and product people love and less time banging your head at roadblocks and bottlenecks.

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🍜Anybody up for some ramen? I am excited to share that I am back in the garage, building again (it’s actually a house in the Berkeley Hills). We are taking the wraps off of Supercog AI, a new startup focused on solving Application Integration using LLM powered agents. My co-founder in this new venture is a great friend of mine (and a former co-founder partner), Alex Osborne. Alex and I have worked around the application integration space for a long time, and we are unrealistically excited about applying the GenAI stack to this problem. Not many people relish the task to get some bits to move from system A to system B. But it’s a critical job to be done, and that’s led to a lot of brittle scripts, a myriad of inflexible “no code” tools, and a lot of hand crafted SQL. But the power of the Large Language Model, trained on a huge corpus of information, offers a remarkable tool to solve this problem. The LLM you use today already knows the APIs of hundreds of popular systems. It knows the SQL dialects of every major database. It understands the semantics and data schemas of many popular SaaS systems. It understands much of the specific domain in which your business operates. I like to call the AI revolution “the last platform shift”. That may turn out to be hyperbole, but I definitely believe we are in the very early stages of seeing what this new stack can enable. I know we are hardly the first folks to claim that “amazing stuff is coming!”. But this is why Alex and I have decided to focus on a real and hard problem. If we can prove that LLMs can power a new way to solve this problem, it will be the first successful *new* approach in 15 years.. We will have much more to share about this new platform soon. In the meantime, if you’re interested in getting a peek - or even better if you have application or data integration tasks that you would like some help with - please reach out because we want to help. #genai #startups #backinthegarage

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Pipedream helps you ship features faster than any tool I’ve used. I’ve built hundreds of automations, APIs, background jobs, and other services that power our core product. Every time we build on it, we reflect on what could be simpler, and we improve the product for everyone. You don’t have to worry about managing API auth, rate limits, queuing, or set up any infra. You get to focus 100% on the problem you’re trying to solve. Don’t take my word for it - try it!

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Turns out this is also the number one hack for using any collaborative tool including your existing team infrastructure to do PM work 😉… “Give a lot of context.” But seriously, some excellent tips/tricks in here to PM more efficiently.

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Would it be possible to have some help updating this section of our website on Framer? Simple edits: 1) Update to say Terms and Conditions, 2) put a heart between "with" and "in" and 3) Put Space Needle within the word Seattle. 4) If possible, make "Built with <3 in Seattle a really cool mini interactive graphic. 5) Ensure that the spacing is adjusted so that it looks right. I'm new to Framer and am having some trouble.

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Let's talk about data and dbt at Foundations on Nov 7th!

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Releasing quantized Llama models. Faster, lower memory footprint, designed to run on small devices. Details here: https://lnkd.in/gdmjfByi

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Interested in how to kickstart and scale design engineering in your organization? Check out the latest episode with Steve Saul!

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How did you meet your co-founder at LendAPI? It’s one of the most frequently asked questions, and I truly believe the stars were aligned at that time. I feel blessed to have Tim as a partner on this journey. Here is the story: https://lnkd.in/gDeFYQG8 #fintech #startup

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We hosted our first ever Hangar DX dinner in SF this week! We kept the dinner intimate with 12 DX leaders from Slack, Notion, Figma, Reddit, Amplitude, LinkedIn, Yelp, Benchling, Babylist and AMD. This gave everyone opportunity to have open unfiltered conversation about the DevEx space today, and form real connections. These were some of my most surprising findings: 🌟 None of the DevEx teams have a Product Manager - it is extremely hard to find a PM for DevEx who truly understands and aligns with developers' complex workflow needs 🌟 Even though everyone feels the pain of ownership, no one is using any off-the-shelf IDP today 🌟 Roadmap is primarily driven bottoms up - everyone uses some form of surveys and internal interviews to inform the roadmap 🌟 Influencing C-suite and explaining impact seems to be on top of mind Thank you Poya Osgouei for helping host the dinner, and Aviator for sponsoring :) #developerproductivity #developerexperience #devex

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TLDR: 🚀 In 6 months, I've transformed my challenging homebuying experience into Home inSights—an AI-driven app I built to help navigate Portland, ME's challenging market. Like, share and read on to see how you can help. 🏠 Like many of you, I've faced the challenges of today's housing market firsthand. In just one year, we made 10 offers, toured dozens of homes, and combed through hundreds of listings. After repeatedly coming up short, I had a realization — the current tools weren't serving the actual consumers: homebuyers and homeowners. 📈 In Portland, home prices have surged by 85% and mortgage costs have tripled in just five years. We're in the midst of a nationwide crisis marked by limited supply, skyrocketing prices, and escalating borrowing costs. With this increased pressure on consumers, homebuyers need all the help they can get. 🔍 Home inSights is built to empower buyers and homeowners with personalized insights, community discussion, and smart comparison tools. You may be a home owner wanting to better estimate the equity you can roll forward, waiting for the right home to popup within a school district, or a new buyer with constantly changing buying power. Existing apps prioritize lead generation, and maintain this information asymmetry. There is a better way. 🌅 This version of Home inSights is only the beginning, currently focused on the Portland market. I’m racing to keep building this, but I want to begin including you all. Here’s my backstory on why I’m embarking on this journey: 💼 My career began in the aftermath of the last housing crisis. I worked on mortgage-backed securities lawsuits worth billions, reviewing tens of thousands of mortgages. The countless stories of hardship have stayed with me, fueling a deep-seated desire to make a difference. 👔 As a CFA charter holder, I love markets and valuations and feel driven to help make the market better by empowering consumers through information and tooling. 🥒 Later, I grew my family's pickle company to $3M revenue, gained hands-on business management experience, learned to listen to customers, and how to grow and lead teams when the future is unknown. 📱 Most recently, at Appex, I managed dozens of mobile apps with hundreds of thousands of consumers, worked with many founders, and learned how to build a mobile business. 💡🤖 But I wasn't a coder. Determined to create a solution, I turned to AI. In a few months, I launched not one, but two apps. These unique keystone experiences laid the foundation for what has become Home inSights. If you have read this far, thank you thank you thank you. 🫵 Any help is appreciated: 👍 1. Like, share, comment and/or tag someone on this post 🫶 2. Follow my progress on Instagram: @Buildwithphil.ai 📲 3. Download Home Insights on iOS, subscribe to support ongoing development, and share feedback https://lnkd.in/eQQc8tm9

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Ralph Otto, our Director of Product, is helping us build best practices with AI. We see it as a force multiplier for the humans at COLAB, and we're testing ways our clients can benefit from it as well. Check out our latest article to learn how we leverage AI to do our work faster and better than ever. #AI #AITools #Marketing #DigitalMarketing #WebDevelopment

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Who's got a Waymo experience to share? I just had my first truly bad one. First, I should say I love Waymo. It's not in many places yet, but it's poised to be everywhere soon. The app tells me I've done 26 rides covering 97 miles in SF and mostly it's been an exceptional experience. Apart from some quibbles like getting dropped off a block away up a big hill, it's a zen-like experience and a smooth better-than-human-driver experience on the way to wherever I'm going. But I think we're all bound to experience some hiccups as we journey to the future. In my case, I was taking a trip into the Financial District for an event and I had 6 minutes to spare given the ETA. Then all of the sudden it decides it wants to pull into the left lane, which is filled with parked cars. I sit at first amused at this decision. It pulls up right behind the parked car and waits. Then it goes through a dance of deciding it wants to get back in the original lane (everybody loves to snub a driverless car in traffic!) and pulling ever closer to the parked car ahead. Miraculously the driver of the parked car shows up, loads his trunk and departs with ease. The Waymo decides the next course of action is to pull directly behind the next parked car in the lane. My amusement fades. I call support via the touchscreen. My 6 minute buffer that had evaporated to 1 minute suddenly tells me I'll be 13 minutes late, a driver assistance team is dispatched and on their way. Yikes! Then magically (I think they manually took control), the Waymo behaves like a normal driver and inches back into the normal lane and I'm on my way, arriving 1 minute late to the meeting. So in the end, a bit of time stress for someone who really likes to be on time (I started a time company after all) and not really world-ending. In fact, despite this unfortunate experience, I'll be loyally riding again. And so I guess this ends as a parable about what Product Market Fit looks like. If you can mostly deliver superior experiences, there's room for rough edges. (pictured below, mom's first trip in a Waymo)

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🪄✨🤖 Magical AI Experiences 🪄✨🤖 In yesterday’s Stratechery Daily Update, Ben Thompson describes his magical first ride with Waymo: “The ride itself was, on any objective basis, pretty uneventful…What was really surprising to me, though, was how I felt about the entire thing. After Waymo greeted me by name, explained the process (which only happens on your first ride), and dropped me off with a cheery “Happy Friday”, I felt a twinge of — what is this?! — sadness as it drove away. I felt like I had just made a new friend, and now my friend was driving away after too short a time together.” Later in the update, he comments, “What was the most striking was how this experience made me think about Google: I felt a genuine surge of affection for the Internet giant.” ^^This is what we strive for at OfOne (YC W23). With voice AI, restaurant brands have a unique opportunity to rethink and deliver a differentiated brand experiences. When done correctly, AI can be delightful and immersive. We’re working really hard every day to enable our partners to provide this to their customers. The technology is there, and it's getting better every day. The brands that lean in and execute on this well will win customers hearts. Link to article below. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, you should be!

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I spent over half a decade working with driverless cars. I see massive potential for these vehicles to reshape NYC real estate. Waymo recently raised $5.6 billion in a Series C round led by Alphabet and supported by many other leading companies. Meaning the future of this technology feels closer than ever. These are the biggest Opportunities & Challenges Driverless cars present in the NYC market: 1. Reduced need for parking could free up valuable urban space, converting parking lots into housing, retail, or green areas. 2. Easier commutes may drive up outer borough property values, balancing Manhattan and other more densely populated areas of the City 3. NYC’s notorious traffic, pushback from unions on automation, unpredictable weather, and high foot traffic require advanced tech and regulatory adaptation. The next steps will be crucial as real estate, tech, and policy leaders navigate how driverless cars might reimagine our cities. How do you think driverless tech will impact real estate in NYC? P.S This is me in a driverless car back in 2017

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A lot of folks ask what it means to be successful as a non-technical person in a startup, and I believe Forrest Perry is a great example of this. 👨 Forrest was our first hire at Heard and has exemplified what it means to be adaptable, humble, and growth-oriented. His journey with us is nothing short of inspiring: ➡ Joined as a Sales Rep: He started strong, diving into the sales process and laying the foundation for our outreach. ➡ Took on Account Management & Customer Ops: Recognizing the need, he expanded his role to ensure our clients were well-supported and satisfied. ➡ Took on Onboarding: Forrest stepped up again, streamlining our onboarding process to ensure new clients had a seamless start with Heard. ➡ Built and Scaled Teams in Each Function: He built a team to manage both sales and onboarding, showcasing his leadership and team-building skills. ➡ Focused on Sales and Onboarding: He handed off onboarding responsibilities and focused on scaling the sales team further, building the team to what it is today. ➡ Took on Partnerships: Now, he's taken on partnerships, ready to unlock big opportunities for Heard. This incredible journey over just three years highlights Forrest's low ego and his consistent drive to replace himself in each function as he scaled it up. He collaborates with the team to bring in experts to take over, allowing him to move on to the next important challenge. With a deep understanding of our business, product, and therapist customers, he's perfectly positioned to drive our partnerships forward. Two key actions he’s taken in every role are characteristic of startup success: ➡ Deep diving into all the historical data, problems, and opportunities. ➡ Tapping into his network to set up meetings with 15-20 partnership leaders. This is how you navigate startups as a generalist, and don't let the startup grow beyond you!

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