It’s the week of December 7th, 2025.
Here’s what we’re thinking about:
I’m hiring an Executive Software Engineer. Think of this like a Chief of Staff, but your job is to create technology that allows me to scale and move faster.
How do you position yourself for a gig like this without building in public?
Thinking out loud on the internet is no longer an activity reserved for creators and influencers. It’s how anyone can get the most interesting opportunities.
There’s no world in which you apply for a job like this on LinkedIn.
You need to build interesting products or write thought-provoking prose.
You need to create a body of work that will speak for you when you’re not in the room.
Isaiah continues:
I’m looking for a general athlete, not a specialist. The more and weirder systems you’ve built with your own hands, the better; but you need to be well-versed in all the latest and greatest ways of creating things wicked fast (Vercel, Replit, AI coders, etc). You’ll be responsible for everything, from front-end design to backend implementation, auth, hosting, maintenance, testing, planning, product ownership, etc.
The lines between roles at startups will continue to blur.
This begs the question.
Should you be a Generalist or a Specialist in the AI Era?
— Daniel
Here’s what to read this week:
Such a sick JD. Whoever this person ends up being is going to be really lucky.
Ahhhh thank you Dan 🥹