Hi, I'm Justin Jackson. Here, I'm sharing brief thoughts on building a better life, bootstrapping, improving society, growing older in tech, being a dad...
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Hey friends, wanted to give you an update on what we're building over at Transistor.fm . The big thing I'm really excited about is video podcasting. Transistor customers will soon be able to publish video podcast episodes on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and any other apps that support HLS video. We have a waiting list here if you're interested --> We were one of only about five hosting platforms to get an HLS video show working inside Apple Podcasts, and uniquely, Transistor is the only ...
AI coding tools like Claude Code are blurring roles on software teams. As Marc Andreessen said on Lenny's podcast: " There's a Mexican standoff happening between those three roles: product manager, designer, and coder." Links referenced in this episode: → Mark Andreessen on Lenny's Podcast → "The Five Stages of Losing Our Craft" → Kent Beck's tweet on 90% of skills becoming irrelevant → Good vibes, bad vendors...
I prototyped a full video podcasting app in a couple of days using Claude Code, and it's completely changed how I think about building new features for Transistor (the podcast hosting product I co-founded). 🔥 Timestamps: 0:00 – Why you should build fake products first 0:27 – The podcast countdown timer experiment 0:56 – Taking on video podcast hosting at Transistor 1:08 – Just start building it 1:47 – Demo: the video podcasting prototype 2:32 – What people actually want vs. what I assumed (HLS ...
My friend Adam Wathan has a new podcast called Adam's Morning Walk , and in the last episode he talked about how he's thinking about building with AI : How can someone sit in front of a text area and explain what they want in enough detail that the AI is gonna produce something good? I was listening to this episode last night and it brought up all sorts of thoughts for me. So I opened up telegram and sent him a series of (slightly inebriated) voice memos. I'm publishing these here in case they s...
Successful startups don't create demand. They position themselves in the path of existing demand. In a good market, customers provide their own motivation. Your job isn't to create customer motivation; it's to find where it already exists and then build something that satisfies it. Timestamps: 00:00 I was listening to the Offsite podcast . 00:20 What does it take for a customer to take out their credit card? 00:46 How high is the customer's desire for the product? 01:23 When will a customer buy ...
There's a strange relationship between the effort you put into something and the outcome you get out of it. You could invest thousands of hours in a project, only to get a tepid response to what you've made. Read the blog post: " The effort-outcome asymmetry " Have thoughts? Reply on Bluesky
Adam Wathan shares his shift from AI skepticism to embracing AI coding tools like Cursor. He discusses how AI excels at eliminating grunt work for experienced developers but struggles with tasks where you lack expertise. The conversation explores AI's impact on the Tailwind business, the increasing importance of audience building, and new projects enabled by AI.
My friend Jeremy Enns and I recently had this conversation about a quote by Thelonious Monk: "A genius is the one most like himself." We explored this idea about what it means to find your zone of genius and why being authentically yourself might be the key to your greatest work. I ended up writing a blog post about this too: Finding your zone of genius This conversation was a part of a longer episode we did for PMT Explained ....
I think a lot of folks assume that people who create content (YouTube videos, podcasts, screencasts, public speaking) are mostly extroverted. But this conversation I recently had with Aaron Francis, Marie Poulin, and Brian Casel on the Panel Podcast calls that into question. 🔗 Listen to the full episode here: https://panelpodcast.com/4 Timestamps: (00:00) - - Are most content creators extroverts? (00:50) - - Marie's journey from YouTube-resistant to YouTube creator (02:07) - - Brian on the para...
This episode discusses the podcast industry's reaction to YouTube's increasing influence, arguing that the industry is underestimating YouTube's dominance in capturing consumer attention. It explores how YouTube's ingrained consumer habits and its role as a content aggregator pose a significant threat to traditional audio podcasting. The episode suggests podcasting should be positioned as a calm alternative to digital overstimulation.
The advent of AI coding assistance has introduced a wave of dread in the software development industry, exemplified by Chris Sacca's stark prediction that "we are super screwed" when it comes to traditional coding jobs. But I'm not convinced. (00:00) - Chris Sacca's dire prediction about AI replacing coding (02:23) - Brian Casel: In the future, will everyone just use AI to build their own little apps? (02:42) - Tyler King: Is this wave of AI hype similar to the no-code wave? (03:22) - The limita...
I wrote a blog post, that ended up Hacker News, called: " What's happening with founders over 40? " I got a lot of comments and reactions to the piece, so I thought I'd respond to those here. Key moments: 0:00 - What was the blog post about? 1:28 - Discussion of cognitive changes and fluid vs crystallized intelligence 3:01 - Personal example of declining energy for late-night work 5:36 - Menopause and hormonal changes in aging 7:58 - Research showing the age of a successful founder is 45 10:15 -...
I have an entrepreneurial drive to start many projects. A formula from my therapist about stress management. How I use Claude AI to evaluate my life choices. Key moments: 0:00 - Introduction & One-Take Podcast Format 0:39 - The Stress Formula: Demands vs Resources 1:44 - Entrepreneurial Phase & Sustainability 1:59 - Using Claude AI for Life Planning 2:27 - My Current Responsibilities 3:31 - Desires for New Projects 4:04 - Claude's Analysis of My Responsibilities 5:17 - Resource Managemen...
tl;dr – I've decided to delete all my Twitter posts, lock down my account, and leave the platform. And I'm going all-in on Bluesky , which (in the last month) has become 1,000x more fun than X. Links: Why I'm leaving Twitter for Bluesky – my blog post Bluesky Migrate – a simple guide on how to migrate to Bluesky from X. Starterpacks.net and Bluesky Directory help you find Starter Packs to follow. Use your custom domain as your username Follow me on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/mijus...
In 1999, I met Chad Muska at Slam City Jam in Vancouver. He was at the height of his popularity. His pro model was selling 10,000 units a month, and he was one of the first playable characters in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game. But then, all the money and fame ran out. "Right around the beginning of the pandemic," Chad says, "everything ended in skateboarding for me as far as finances go. My last check came in, and it was done." So, what's Chad Muska doing now? He's building the Muska brand as an i...
"It's good for people to have to slow down; for people to not be able to just knee-jerk a reaction every time someone says something they don't like. in this TikTok video. so I'm like, if you've read the comments on TikTok videos, it's not the pinnacle of human achievement. Right? It's like They're awful. And YouTube YouTube comments are terrible too." Full episode on the Make Lemonade podcast, episode 49...
This is my 2022 year in review. I've been writing these every year since 2013. Traditionally, these have focused on my business highlights: what's happening with the podcasting SaaS I run with Jon Buda (Transistor.fm), thoughts on bootstrapping and startups, plus any other personal experiences I feel I can share publicly. If you'd prefer to read the blog post version, you can find it here: https://justinjackson.ca/2022-review What happened in 2022 for Transistor.fm With a team of four people, we...
When looking at past mistakes, the positive action is to ask: "What did I learn?" But when we're looking towards the future, we want to be mindful of the kinds of risks we're taking. When you commit to the wrong thing, you risk burning out or getting crushed. Watch the whole interview on Sharath Kuruganty's channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M-XsuHVxXM Listen to the podcast: https://undefeatedunderdogs.com/6
There are some people that think they need to be Twitter famous in order to start a business. But I think fame is a trap; you should avoid it if you can. If you're a band, and you can fill a room with a hundred people and play to those fans in multiple cities around the globe, you've made it. That's perfect. The same is true in startups. If you can build a small, profitable business without becoming well-known, you should do it. It will bring so much more calm to your life. Links: Fat Mike inter...
