Articles

We built AI that can predict your next purchase before you've thought of it. We have never had more power to actually understand people. Not just their data - them. The generation before us built the internet. They gave us speed, scale, and reach. What we build now, the values we wire into these systems today, is what the next generation will inherit as normal. We don't get a second chance to decide what AI cares about. That decision is being made right now, in roadmaps and backlogs and sprint cycles, by people like us. Let's make sure we leave them something worth inheriting.

Explore how AI is rewiring our behavior and collapsing the distance between intention and action. Discover why "context compression" is the most critical shift in modern commerce and what it means for the future of brand loyalty.

Choosing optimism about AI is a necessary act of discipline in a culture that increasingly equates cynicism with intelligence.

Our job isn’t to make commerce more futuristic. It’s to make life a little easier. A little calmer. A little more predictable. To reduce the moments where people feel tricked, stuck, or overwhelmed. To build experiences that earn trust the boring way, by working, by being fair, by being easy to undo, and by treating people like humans instead of “conversion opportunities.”

Article about the most important thing 2025 reminded me about technology.

At first it sounds discouraging. Billions invested, so many brilliant people working tirelessly, and yet most projects don’t make it to the finish line. But here’s the perspective I hold on to: those 95% aren’t failures, they are progress in motion. They are the experiments, the scraped knees, the lessons we need in order to get to the breakthroughs. History reminds us of this over and over. Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb on his first try, the Wright brothers didn’t just fly without crashing first. Failure has never been the opposite of success, it has always been the path to it. So when I hear 95%, I don’t panic. I see the privilege of being able to test, learn, and grow at a speed that was unimaginable just a few years ago. And if we keep people at the center, our customers, our employees, our communities, then even the stumbles will carry us forward, toward something safer, smarter, and more human. I shared more of my reflections in this article, and I would love to hear yours. How do you define progress in the time of AI?

I wonder if anyone else obsesses over this stuff the way I do. Things are moving so fast in tech, in commerce, in how we live and shop and talk to each other, and I’ll be honest, I’m enjoying every minute of the ride. But sometimes, I also catch myself thinking: Are we moving so fast that we’ve stopped noticing how much has already changed? We’re adapting to new tools, new habits, and new interfaces, almost without realizing it. Change is no longer a moment. It’s a constant. And whether we’re ready or not, it’s happening anyway. So I wrote something. It started with a traffic jam, a snoring brother-in-law, and an AI that planned my vacation. But it turned into a bigger reflection on where shopping begins now, and what it means when agents, not humans, start the journey.

And here’s the business case, because yes, there is one. Products grounded in empathy drive better adoption. Experiences rooted in real human needs create loyalty. AI that understands context reduces friction, returns, and complaints. Empathy, it turns out, is measurable. You’ll find it in your KPIs if you know where to look.

If you’re in this moment and feeling a bit unsteady, you’re not alone. If you’re inspired by AI but unsure how to talk about it with your team, you’re not alone. If you’re trying to figure out your place in this shifting landscape, I see you. Truly. This is all new. It’s moving quickly. But we don’t have to move through it alone, or in silence. Empathy won’t slow us down. It will shape how we move, with more integrity, with more wisdom, and with more heart. Let’s not just build what’s possible. Let’s build what’s humane.

Nobody has this all figured out. Not the biggest tech companies, the most seasoned teams, or even the AI models themselves. The ones who will thrive in this new era aren’t the ones who get it perfect on the first try. They’re the ones who keep showing up. Keep asking questions. And most importantly, keep learning together. Let’s make this journey a little less lonely, a little more open, and a whole lot more collaborative. We’re all figuring it out - let’s do it out loud. “The more I help out, the more successful I become. But I measure success in what it has done for the people around me. That’s the real accolade.” - Adam Grant, Give and Take (a must-read for anyone navigating change) AI can be intimidating - even a little scary. But people don’t have to be. If we lead with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to share what we’re learning, we won’t just build smarter tools - we’ll build a better industry, and a great community.

For decades, Michael Porter’s Five Forces have shaped how we think about competition, defining the way we build strategy. But now? We’re at a turning point. Is AI just another tool, or, it’s reshaping competitive dynamics at an unprecedented pace? If we don’t step back and use a structured framework, we risk either falling behind or bolting AI onto our business without real impact.