Justin's brain

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 pla...

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...

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...

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...

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 c...

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

"I used to be more skeptical than I am now. Especially when everyone was talking about 'one-shotting' and 'vibe coding.' But then I forced myself to download Cursor and build an entire project without typing any code, making the computer type the code for me. I had to throw myself in the deep end." All three of us (Adam, Brian, Justin) give our honest takes on AI and software development, and how...

 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 ep...

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?...

In the pursuit of "making podcasts more discoverable," the podcast industry has welcomed YouTube with open arms. But is the industry misdiagnosing YouTube's role? YouTube isn't just "getting into podcasting" - it's a behemoth that's captured consumer attention at an unprecedented level. Join the discussion: Reply on Bluesky Leave a comment on YouTube I don't think YouTube actually cares about "pod...

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...

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...

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...

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 f...

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 che...

"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, ep...

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:/...

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://undefea...

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 becomi...

Listen to the full interview on the Indie Hackers podcast .