Read this series in order
The AI-Era Product Strategy Reading Path
A progressive argument that starts with why the idea now outweighs execution, moves through the competitive dynamics AI unleashes, and arrives at what actually holds up when anyone can build anything.
Who this is for
Founders and indie hackers building in the AI era who need a strategic framework, not just tactical tips, for deciding what to build and how to position it.
Why follow this series
AI collapsed the cost of building. That changes everything downstream: what counts as a product, where competitive advantage lives, and which ventures survive. This series walks through the shift in sequence. It starts with the argument that the idea now carries more weight than execution, examines how AI acts as a multiplier rather than an equalizer, explores the commodity-versus-brand split AI is forcing on every venture, maps the squeeze on the middle tier, and lands on what actually constitutes a durable moat when the tools are identical for everyone.
Recommended order
Each article carries the argument forward. Start where you need to, but the sequence is deliberate.
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The Idea Is the Product Now
What you choose to build now matters more than how well you build it. (and it always did) You can build almost anything in a weekend now. An AI-assisted sol...
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The New Bottleneck
For fifteen years, the startup world had a favorite mantra. Scott Adams put it most directly: "Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything." Derek Sivers tu...
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Settled Before AI Ever Showed Up
No filter saves a badly captured photo, and AI treats your product the same way, multiplying the competitive advantage you already had, or the lack of one. ...
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Every Venture Is Either a Commodity or a Brand
AI didn't create this split. It just burned away everything that let you ignore it. Every few weeks, a new AI tool launches that replicates what some existi...
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The $5,000 Problem (Includes free tool)
AI isn't replacing the best or the cheapest. It's squeezing out everyone in between. A web designer charges $5,000 for a small business website. Above her, ...
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What Survives When Anyone Can Build Anything
AI can generate the tool. The real market is still in owning the upkeep, especially for recurring problems nobody wants to operate themselves. The "is SaaS ...
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The AI Moat You Can't Buy
You're looking for the right asset to hoard. The real advantage turns out to be a loop you have to run. Everyone building AI products is hunting for the sam...