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Most popular by Hard Mode First

ChatGPT Saved My Life (No, Seriously, I’m Writing this from the ER)

How to Plan an Annual Family Summit

How I Used AI to Save My Life in 77 Prompts: A Debrief

Teach to Learn: Why Sharing What You Know Makes You Smarter

Can (A)I Really Write a 100-Page Ebook in a Week?

Most popular by Hard Mode First

ChatGPT Saved My Life (No, Seriously, I’m Writing this from the ER)

How to Plan an Annual Family Summit

How I Used AI to Save My Life in 77 Prompts: A Debrief

Teach to Learn: Why Sharing What You Know Makes You Smarter

Can (A)I Really Write a 100-Page Ebook in a Week?

Hard Mode First

Lessons learned from a lifetime of doing things the hard way, the first time

Hard Mode First

Lessons learned from a lifetime of doing things the hard way, the first time

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Hard Mode First

What Happens When Parents Build for Their Own Kids

Write What You KnowBack in journalism school, the age-old advice for writers is a mantra that still holds true today: “Write what you know.”That’s what first got me into writing creative nonfiction essays, which is a category of writing I’ve been drawn to ever since my Xanga blogging days back in the early 00’s. One of the surprising things I've noticed about creative expression on the Internet is that building software feels a lot like writing: You have to build what you know. Given all...

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Hard Mode First

What Happens When Parents Build for Their Own Kids

Write What You KnowBack in journalism school, the age-old advice for writers is a mantra that still holds true today: “Write what you know.”That’s what first got me into writing creative nonfiction essays, which is a category of writing I’ve been drawn to ever since my Xanga blogging days back in the early 00’s. One of the surprising things I've noticed about creative expression on the Internet is that building software feels a lot like writing: You have to build what you know. Given all...

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

Why You Should Chase Your "Twitchy Interests"

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Hard Mode First

Why You Should Chase Your "Twitchy Interests"

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Hard Mode First

Announcing Build First's September AI Power Hours

The AI Power HourOne of the most exciting things about building with AI is that it empowers anyone to be a builder. Not only that, but you can build prototypes faster than ever. So, this summer, I decided to take that to the next level. Each week, I’ve been co-hosting AI Power Hours with friends via Build First, where we build something from zero to MVP in just 60 minutes flat. This summer, we’ve built:A Super Mario-inspired side-scrolling game with Sara ChippsA community management software ...

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Hard Mode First

Announcing Build First's September AI Power Hours

The AI Power HourOne of the most exciting things about building with AI is that it empowers anyone to be a builder. Not only that, but you can build prototypes faster than ever. So, this summer, I decided to take that to the next level. Each week, I’ve been co-hosting AI Power Hours with friends via Build First, where we build something from zero to MVP in just 60 minutes flat. This summer, we’ve built:A Super Mario-inspired side-scrolling game with Sara ChippsA community management software ...

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

Vibe Coding for VCs (Sept 19 in NYC)

I’m thrilled to introduce Vibe Coding for VCs, an exclusive Build First x Company Ventures workshop designed to help investors go beyond the hype and actually build with AI. This four-hour, in-person session takes place in New York City on September 19. Learn more and RSVP through Build First (AI powered) or Luma (the classic way).What We’ll CoverHere’s the gist: Learning AI is not like learning how to use a new tool (like a calculator). It’s like learning a new language: One that requires fl...

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Hard Mode First

Vibe Coding for VCs (Sept 19 in NYC)

I’m thrilled to introduce Vibe Coding for VCs, an exclusive Build First x Company Ventures workshop designed to help investors go beyond the hype and actually build with AI. This four-hour, in-person session takes place in New York City on September 19. Learn more and RSVP through Build First (AI powered) or Luma (the classic way).What We’ll CoverHere’s the gist: Learning AI is not like learning how to use a new tool (like a calculator). It’s like learning a new language: One that requires fl...

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

Welcome [Back] to Hard Mode First

The tl;dr: Same blog name, new vibes (now with pixelated meerkat) Reintroducing Hard Mode FirstHello, and welcome (back) to Hard Mode First, a blog all about lessons learned from a lifetime of doing things the hard way, the first time. I’ve recently decided to move my newsletter distribution from Paragraph to Substack. If you’re a longtime email subscriber, you’ll now get emails from Substack directly. If you’re a wallet subscriber, nothing should change. In case you’re new here or just tunin...

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

Welcome [Back] to Hard Mode First

The tl;dr: Same blog name, new vibes (now with pixelated meerkat) Reintroducing Hard Mode FirstHello, and welcome (back) to Hard Mode First, a blog all about lessons learned from a lifetime of doing things the hard way, the first time. I’ve recently decided to move my newsletter distribution from Paragraph to Substack. If you’re a longtime email subscriber, you’ll now get emails from Substack directly. If you’re a wallet subscriber, nothing should change. In case you’re new here or just tunin...

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Hard Mode First

In Our Hyperindividual Era

The Showgirl Effect - Last week, Taylor Swift broke new ground in the era of hyper-individualism by proving you can launch a movement with a single podcast appearance. By announcing her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the podcast of her longtime boyfriend and N.F.L. star Travis Kelce, she proved that she can’t just mobilize millions of loyal followers and fans (which we already knew), but also entire companies and brands around the world to adopt and quickly turn her brand into their own m

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

In Our Hyperindividual Era

The Showgirl Effect - Last week, Taylor Swift broke new ground in the era of hyper-individualism by proving you can launch a movement with a single podcast appearance. By announcing her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the podcast of her longtime boyfriend and N.F.L. star Travis Kelce, she proved that she can’t just mobilize millions of loyal followers and fans (which we already knew), but also entire companies and brands around the world to adopt and quickly turn her brand into their own m

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

Why 95% of AI Pilots Fail (and How to Build a Habit of AI Fluency that Actually Works)

From Hype to Fluency: Why AI Change Feels HardLast week, I read that while nearly half of organizations are now deploying AI (up from just a year ago), 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing and they’re not seeing meaningful productivity gains. I’m not surprised. While I strongly disagree with yesterday’s New Yorker claim that AI may not be living up to the hype (trust me, AI has changed my life, saved my life, and leveled me up 10x this past year), I do agree with the counterpo...

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Hard Mode First

Why 95% of AI Pilots Fail (and How to Build a Habit of AI Fluency that Actually Works)

From Hype to Fluency: Why AI Change Feels HardLast week, I read that while nearly half of organizations are now deploying AI (up from just a year ago), 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing and they’re not seeing meaningful productivity gains. I’m not surprised. While I strongly disagree with yesterday’s New Yorker claim that AI may not be living up to the hype (trust me, AI has changed my life, saved my life, and leveled me up 10x this past year), I do agree with the counterpo...

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Hard Mode First

Building Blocks of AI Literacy: A Summer Pilot at Harlem Link Charter School

Introducing Make with Miko: An AI Literacy Pilot Program for K-5 LearnersI’m excited to introduce Make with Miko, a pilot program I built this summer to introduce foundational AI concepts to K-5 learners. This program is designed to help elementary aged learners who are growing up in the AI Age develop an early vocabulary and mental model for both understanding and building with AI. Here’s what it looks like today, and how I’d like it to evolve from here.This Make with Miko curriculum continu...

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Hard Mode First

Building Blocks of AI Literacy: A Summer Pilot at Harlem Link Charter School

Introducing Make with Miko: An AI Literacy Pilot Program for K-5 LearnersI’m excited to introduce Make with Miko, a pilot program I built this summer to introduce foundational AI concepts to K-5 learners. This program is designed to help elementary aged learners who are growing up in the AI Age develop an early vocabulary and mental model for both understanding and building with AI. Here’s what it looks like today, and how I’d like it to evolve from here.This Make with Miko curriculum continu...

Post cover image

Hard Mode First

10 Years Of Hamilton: Only a Matter of Time

I’ve been writing some version of this story — the story of how the musical, Hamilton has impacted my life, my family, and my ambition - in my head for the better part of the past decade. In honor of HamilTEN, the show's 10-year anniversary on August 6, 2025, I’ve decided to finally share a piece of that narrative.PrologueBack in 2018, I really wanted to write a book about Hamilton. Not the musical – I wanted to write about the leadership team of the Cabinet, which is what they call the four-...

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Hard Mode First

10 Years Of Hamilton: Only a Matter of Time

I’ve been writing some version of this story — the story of how the musical, Hamilton has impacted my life, my family, and my ambition - in my head for the better part of the past decade. In honor of HamilTEN, the show's 10-year anniversary on August 6, 2025, I’ve decided to finally share a piece of that narrative.PrologueBack in 2018, I really wanted to write a book about Hamilton. Not the musical – I wanted to write about the leadership team of the Cabinet, which is what they call the four-...

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Hard Mode First

Meet Bethany the Builder

500 blog posts, 1.5 million words, and a new way to explore them

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Hard Mode First

Meet Bethany the Builder

500 blog posts, 1.5 million words, and a new way to explore them