Thinking In Public by Alperen Zeki Gokmen

In this issue, I’m sharing the agent setup I use to run The Brutally Honest day to day. Not the theory behind AI agents, and not a tool comparison, but the actual folder structure, the connections, and how the work gets done. This one is really about a shift in how I think about getting things done. I connect agents to the tools we actually use, like Instantly, HubSpot, LinkedIn, and Fathom, and r...

In this issue, I’m looking at vibe coding from a different angle. Not which tool to use, and not how to write the perfect prompt, but what actually matters before you even start building. This one is really about approach. Prompts matter far less than most people think. What matters more is being clear about the problem, staying patient when things break, testing what you build, and knowing how to...

In this issue, I continue the practical AI toolbox map with the second set of 25 needs, each paired with one tool or service that helps you get to a first usable result fast. This part leans more into presentations, research, productivity, sales workflows, and discovery. The point is the same: reduce the tool overload moment. Pick the closest need, pick the tool, then use any chatbot to turn your...

In this issue, I share a practical AI toolbox map: 25 real needs, each paired with one tool or service that helps you get to a first usable result fast. The goal is to remove the tool overload moment. You pick the closest need, pick the tool, then use any chatbot to turn your exact scenario into a simple first test and a short setup plan. If the first output is useful, you keep going. If it is not...

In this issue, I share a practical workflow for building dynamic, functional websites with AI coding agents while saving credits and avoiding the UI first trap. It starts with defining the user flow and core features in a chatbot, then using the coding agent to implement one function at a time, so you debug less, ship faster, and end up with something that actually works, not just a nice looking d...

In this issue, I share a practical workflow for building static websites with AI coding agents while saving credits and avoiding generic, template-looking results. It starts with planning in a chatbot, then using the coding agent for implementation, so you iterate less, ship faster, and end up with a cleaner, more distinct design language. Hope you enjoy this one. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is...

In this issue, I share a simple workflow that turns your competitor’s LinkedIn engagement into a clean, data backed target audience snapshot using Apify and an AI model of your choice. It pulls real profiles from people interacting with a competitor’s posts, cleans the data, and generates a usable audience report you can rebuild for your own startup in minutes. Hope you enjoy this one. Audio Discl...

In this issue, I share a small workflow that turns your YouTube videos into learning emails using Make.com, Agent.ai, ChatGPT, and Gmail. It automatically pulls transcripts from new videos, summarizes them, and sends the insights straight to your inbox. A simple setup that helps you keep learning even when you don’t have time to watch. Hope you enjoy this one. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is mad...

In this episode I talk about a small workflow that turns your X bookmarks into a weekly mini newsletter using Rube App and Claude. It automatically collects the posts you saved during the week, summarizes them, and sends a short digest to your inbox. A simple setup that helps you turn what you save into something you can actually learn from. Hope you enjoy the episode. Audio Disclaimer: This episo...

In this episode I talk about Founder Institute’s Startup Prompt Library that brings together more than one hundred AI powered prompts for founders. I share six prompts I found especially valuable, from defining your customer archetypes to testing pricing experiments. These are practical tools you can plug directly into your startup journey to save time and make smarter decisions. Hope you enjoy th...

In this episode I talk about how AI marketplaces make it possible to use ready made agents and workflows without building anything from scratch. I share examples from Gumloop, Agent AI and Relevance AI that cover tasks like ranking candidates, researching companies, generating content ideas and even running full SEO audits. These are tools that can save startup founders weeks of work in just minut...

In this episode I talk about how I used ChatGPT’s new Agent Mode to break down 3 competitors’ funnels from landing to signup to onboarding to pricing and upgrade. All in under 20 minutes. I also share the exact prompt I used and how you can schedule it to get fresh competitor reports automatically every week or month. Hope you enjoy the episode. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is made with AI voice...

In this episode I talk about how I tested Google’s NotebookLM to turn my startup playbooks into narrated videos. No design or editing needed. Just documents and AI. I also share how you can use this feature to pitch, teach, or repurpose your content fast. Hope you enjoy the episode. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is made with AI voices. The AI hosts talk about the main ideas from my newsletter. So...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. I’m Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about how to create multiple short videos in minutes using Canva and AI. No editing skills needed. I also explain why short videos work so well and how you can scale your content fast. Hope you enjoy the episode. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is made with AI voices. The AI hosts talk about the ma...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I focus on one big topic: how to build your own AI voice assistant using Elevenlabs’ new 11.ai. I talk about why Voice AI is growing so quickly, what makes 11.ai different from older assistants, and how new technologies like MCP make it much easier to connect your tools in a safe and flexible way....

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about what makes reasoning models like o1, DeepSeek R1, and Claude 3.7 Sonnet different from classic language models, and how these new models can help you solve more complex problems step by step. I also explain the new update from OpenAI that lets you use any model with custom GPTs, makin...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about how you can now connect almost any app to ChatGPT using new custom connector options. I explain how I tested the latest ElevenLabs V3 model to make AI voices sound much more natural, and how you can design user interfaces just by writing a text description with tools like Google Stitc...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about how I let AI create my podcast and how it worked better than I thought. I share how I used Notebook LM to turn text into a natural-sounding podcast with almost no effort. I also talk about a simple way to keep your X (Twitter) automations working on Make.com, even after recent changes...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about what values AI models like Claude show when talking to people. I share a new report about real conversations and how Claude responds to different values. I also talk about Claude’s new integrations with apps like Zapier. You can now connect Claude with many tools and get better workfl...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about how you can now use AI functions right inside Google Sheets. I show how these new tools and templates can save you time and help with your daily work. I explain why you should use clear and short prompts when you ask for web search in AI tools. I share a new assistant called The Libra...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about why using the right AI is better than using more AI. I share real stories from cities like Sydney, Estonia, and Singapore about smart ways to use AI. I talk about a new ChatGPT update that helps it remember you better. I also explain why Make.com stopped working with X and what you ca...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about using Perplexity to check if AI answers are true. I show how to write an eBook with AI in a smart way. I explain how to use Zapier Agents for easy and automatic workflows. You will also hear what I learned from three great books for founders. I share the latest news about AI tools and...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter. My name is Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I talk about how I use AI for Google Sheets and Excel formulas. I share tips for better results with AI by giving negative instructions. I also show my step by step way to write with AI tools. You will hear how to make good video prompts for AI video tools. I share easy news and useful ideas about...

This is the audio version of my Substack newsletter, Thinking In Public by Alperen Zeki Gokmen. In this episode, I share how I use AI agents for research, set up automation in my work, and test different AI tools to save time. You will hear simple tips, real lessons and ideas you can use in your own work. Audio Disclaimer: This episode is made with AI voices. The AI hosts talk about the main ideas...