The Panel

What happens to the value of software when everyone can make software? Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to The Panel 00:31 Brian’s Brighton Ruby trip 03:12 Building FlyWrite in the car 05:01 Why existing coding tools don’t work for writing 07:20 What FlyWrite actually does 11:37 Building version one with Fable 16:04 Jordan’s weekend build and first AI-native workflow 28:38 Claude Design and interactive p...

Justin and Jordan talk about how Jordan made a change to their funnel and increased sign ups dramatically, improving team communication, conducting better employee reviews, and developing better workflows for project handoffs between employees when AI is being used. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:45 Taking control of your funnel 05:24 Why trust matters in e-commerce 08:18 Optimizing the customer exper...

If you're trying to fix your funnel, where do you start? And how much of an impact do we think Fable is going to have on AI pricing?  Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 03:27 Impact of AI and Market Dynamics 06:24 Taking Control of Your Funnel 17:12 The impact of Fable on AI Costs 26:04 SpaceX IPO and Betting on Space 42:56 Opportunities for SaaS Businesses in 2026 with Domain Expertise 01:07:36 Allowances f...

Justin's got a major life question for the podcast, Jordan's trying to not be angry, and Brian thinks he's cracked the video editing code. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Justin's Big Question 10:04 Personal Reflections on City Life 13:05 Family Dynamics and Future Living Plans 24:37 The Energy of New Beginnings 30:22 The Wisdom of Solitude vs. Ambition 38:58 Accelerating Growth and Optimizat...

After figuring out how to stay in shape with exercise, Jordan and Brian wrestle with what each other's north star should be in their day to day work.  Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:19 Peptides and Supplements 08:06 Gym vs Home Workouts 14:02 Daily Walking 17:01 Brian's Calorie Tracking 21:40 The Importance of Optimization 24:27 Jordan's Ad Spend Thoughts 29:08 SEO and Email Marketing Automatio...

How is multiplayer being addressed in AI, should we scale humans or agents, and is every small business going to vibe code their own apps? With special guest Henry Poydar. Timestamps: 00:00 Welcome to The Panel 03:06 Business Updates 05:53 Coordination Challenges in Teams with AI 11:48 Trust and Accountability in Team Dynamics 17:45 The Future of Team Structures 20:30 Scaling with Agents vs. Tradi...

Are you feeling a mixture of excitement and burnout at the pace AI coding seems to be pushing you? Is it sustainable in the long run or do you worry about what you'll be like in 6 months time? Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:22 Advertising Strategies and Funnels 08:12 Jordan experiments with Partnership Ads and Organic Content Ads 12:03 Transistor's Video Podcasting Platform Launch 21:32 Brian's...

Jason Cohen (founder of WP Engine) joined as a surprise guest. We got into his writing process, why "distribution is the new moat" is either not new or not true, what actually counts as a moat (Basecamp, Linear, Lemon Squeezy), and his framework for funnels: the quality of who enters the top matters more than every other step combined. Jason's new book Hidden Multipliers is available for preorder...

SaaS life! How do you deal with the daily sales anxiety? Brian recounts a major March spike from viral YouTube, a full site redesign and repositioning, and the fear of launches falling flat, while Justin describes simplifying Transistor’s funnel and tracking daily signups. We debate when to “double down on what’s working” versus making scary directional changes, emphasizing founder gut, credibilit...

Justin, Jordan, and Brian discuss the importance of understanding your ideal customer profile, the role of ambition in customer segmentation, and effective strategies for content marketing and product positioning in the tech and SaaS industries. Timestamps : 00:00 Introduction 03:22 Authenticity in Content Creation 06:25 Updates on Business and Personal Life 09:21 Partnerships: Successes and Chall...

In this episode we discuss how small teams can leverage AI as teammates, the impact on business outcomes, and the cultural shifts driven by AI advancements. How would Steve Jobs handle marketing and selling AI at Apple? How do the kids today think about AI? And Jordan explains the Allbirds nonsense. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:38 The Evolution of Teamwork and Tools 07:41 Balancing Accountabili...

Does vision matter? And how far into the future should your vision be these days? And how do we deal with copycats in the age of AI? And who is our money pin in the Anthropic vs OpenAI vs Google horse race, especially with mythos in the news. Timestamps: YOU ARE THE PANEL – send us your thoughts 🗣️ 🎤 Send us an audio or video message 📧 Email us: panelpodcastshow@gmail.com 📺 Leave a comment on Y...

Why doesn't AI prompt us more often if it's so smart? Ryan Hefner joins us to chat about our daily drivers for shoes, IDE, AI provider, getting the news, and planning a vacation.  Timestamps: (00:07) - Introducing Ryan Hefner (03:53) - Today's topic: how we choose our daily drivers (04:54) - Updates with Justin (08:54) - Update from Brian (14:16) - Ryan's Launch week concept (23:04) - The concept...

Justin's hosting this one and he brought along Ben Curtis from Honeybadger to talk about how AI can be a CRM and also your designer. Timestamps: (00:15) - Introducing Ben Curtis (02:57) - How is Honeybadger using AI? (06:35) - How do you determine which model to use for different problems? (09:33) - How are we using AI in marketing and sales? (24:09) - How Steve Schoger used AI to design (33:32) -...

It's Jordan's turn to host and he's got some AI companies he's not sure about... Timestamps: (00:06) - Jordan's episode to host! (01:19) - Business update from Brian (05:45) - Justin's business update (14:09) - How Jordan advertises to his existing customers (21:50) - Jordan's business update (28:48) - Is Polsia fake or real? (40:47) - Adam Wathan announces ui.sh (58:12) - Is Delve AI compliance a...

Brian, Justin, and Jordan talk about the opportunity costs in business decision-making, the impact of AI on marketing channels and strategies, and building custom internal tools with AI versus SaaS solutions. Timestamps: (00:44) - Brian takes the lead (02:17) - Opportunity costs (17:29) - What is Brian's opportunity on Twitter? (21:41) - Figuring out what Builder Methods is and who it's for (24:53...

What happened to you in Mexico? Justin is back from his co-founder retreat with Jon on Holbox Island. He gets vulnerable about the drift that naturally happens in a remote co-founder relationship, the big conversations they'd been avoiding, and the realization that alignment isn't a one-time thing (it requires constant investment!). Jordan and Brian weigh in on co-founder dynamics, decision-making...

Brian and Jordan talk about the need for developers to adapt to survive, Brian debates how much of a content creator he is vs product seller, Jordan relates his experience talking with investors, and the rise of zero human companies ZHC. Timestamps: (00:18) - Welcoming Justin er Jordan back to the show (02:48) - Companies that we're surprised aren't adopting AI tools (11:49) - Roles are blending t...

We make 2 big announcements about changes to The Panel. Then we debate whether there's a founder branding advantage and how AI will affect small software teams in 2026. Timestamps: (00:46) - Our first announcement (02:20) - Why are we bringing Jordan on as a co-host? (06:51) - Why did Jordan want to join The Panel? (14:48) - What's the new format for The Panel? (18:29) - Is there a founder brandin...

Important: we're no longer livestreaming on Justin's personal YouTube channel. Make sure you're subscribed to ​The Panel's channel​ to get notified when we go live: Subscribe to The Panel YouTube here --> Join us FRIDAY (tomorrow, Feb 20) at 11 AM Pacific (2 pm EST) for a surprise announcement: https://www.youtube.com/live/sxASjnzAYkw We'll be announcing: - A new ███████ ██████ ████ - And a bra...

Brian and Justin jump off Matt Shumer's "Something Big is Happening" article to ask questions like is something big happening in AI that even regular folks need to be preparing for? Is this the most important year of your work as a software developer? Should you be getting your financial house in order to prepare for what's about to hit us all? Timestamps: (00:12) - Sick snow (02:46) - Something b...

Come meet the crew of AI agents Brian has working for him, Justin's building fake apps to experiment and find out what he wants for real apps, and why don't we feel like we can relax now that we're doing ok? Timestamps: (00:45) - What we're talking about this episode (03:14) - Brian's OpenClaw setup (11:57) - The cost of token usage with OpenClaw (17:32) - What makes the memory better in OpenClaw?...

Jordan Gal joins The Panel to get some thoughts out about how software development feels like it's shifted since the holiday break, the lowering cost of making a mistake, how his team has to get ready for the new AI first workflow, marketing in the age of AI, and what happens to funding startups when anyone can build the app? Timestamps: (00:06) - Welcome (00:20) - Introducing Jordan (01:34) - The...

Now that the holiday break is over, how are we feeling about 2026? We're talking about the new ideas we have to build or work on, as well as predictions for 2026 in AI, building, normal tech usage, and social media. Timestamps: (00:07) - New year, new excitement (01:40) - What has changed since the holiday break? (06:18) - Is Justin going to republish Marketing for Developers? (11:30) - Building a...

We're looking back at what our thoughts were about 2025, and scheming ideas and plans for 2026. How do you hand over decision making in your business in an AI world? How does remote work first affect junior developers? And do you panic when sales slow down? Adjust? Rethink everything? Timestamps: (00:06) - Does Transistor get quiet around the Xmas holidays? (02:08) - Dealing with insecurity in bus...