Week 27 Dispatch
07/06/2026 - 07/12/2026 The Open The US lost to Belgium on Monday. 4-1. The run ended the way these runs tend to, one great free kick and then a lot of watching. More on that at the bottom, where it belongs because they did not do
When Time and Materials Go to Zero
What everyone will be selling once the model is a utility, and why the people who were right about pricing have been right the whole time. When time and materials go to zero, what will you actually be selling? I have been asking some version of that question for years.
Week 26 Dispatch
06/29/2026 - 07/05/2026 The Open I hope your Fourth was exactly what you wanted. Whatever that may be. And in honor of the Fourth and a reminder, the kids may be alright. Check this out. I watched the US play Bosnia Wednesday night and spent an embarrassing
Week 25 Dispatch
06/22/26 - 06/28/26 The Open A neighbor lost it on Nextdoor this week. All caps: "OUR WORST NIGHTMARE: DATA CENTERS," followed by a warning about astronomical water use and noise loud enough to wreck a home. Sincere, a little unhinged, not anywhere near us, but
Your AI Strategy Is Betting on a Burnt-Out Layer
[Originally written in April 2026] Gallup's 2026 report says managers are the key to AI adoption. It also says managers are the most burnt-out layer in the building. Both are true. That's the whole problem. Everyone quoted the wrong half The 2026 Gallup State of
Why You're All Suddenly Talking About Human Judgment
[Written in February of 2026. Still holds] I've learned to read the synchronization. When the same idea shows up everywhere at once, same week, same framing, same slightly-too-clean phrasing, it means I missed the origin. A podcast I don't listen to. A headline I
The Curse of Multi-Ability
I'll say this now and remind you again later. You can do anyone's job now. That's exactly why you shouldn't. Everyone's having the same week. A designer opens Claude Code and ships working software. A developer opens Figma Make and
Week 24 Dispatch
06/15/2026 - 06/21/2026 The Open First, a disclaimer: because this issue got a little ball-happy, Signal Chain is not a soccer newsletter. I regret nothing. Now the actual thread. I want to be clear up front, I love a prototype. More than the next person. Prototypes
The Age of the Generalist is Here. Again.
The koala is a masterpiece of specialization. It eats one thing, eucalyptus, and has evolved a gut, a metabolism, and a temperament tuned to extract a life force from leaves that would poison almost anything else. It is exquisitely, perfectly adapted. Which is exactly why it’s in trouble. Change
The Rise of the Business Algorithm
We spent months on it. A team of strategists, designers, and technologists. Cultural immersion. Stakeholder interviews. A competitive landscape mapped down to the seams. Qualitative research, then validation on top of it. A stack of concepts for the future of connected cars and mobility, generated, pressure-tested, and narrowed to
Week 23 Dispatch
06/08/2026 - 06/14/2026 The Open Two numbers from this week, side by side. One: a man became the first trillionaire in recorded history, on paper, on a Friday, on a company that lost $4.3 billion last quarter. Two: a painter who spent sixty years turning swimming