TLDR FOUNDERS 2026-01-19

Build trust from the very beginning with Persona

THE PALANTIRIZATION OF EVERYTHING

Job postings for forward-deployed engineers are up 800% this year as startups copy the model Palantir pioneered. However, most companies copying the aesthetic are setting themselves up to become expensive services businesses with software valuation multiples. Palantir works because there's a real platform underneath the bespoke work. If you only copy the embedded-engineer part without a strong product spine, you end up with Accenture for X with a nicer front-end. The question isn't how we become Palantir - it's what's the minimum forward deployment we need to bridge the AI adoption gap, and how quickly can we convert that into a platform business.

OPENAI WILL START TESTING ADS IN CHATGPT

OpenAI plans to test ads in ChatGPT's Free and Go tiers while keeping model responses independent from advertising. Ads will appear as clearly labeled, separate units, and advertisers will not access user conversations. Paid Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers will remain ad-free, preserving a clean experience for paying users.

THE FUTURE OF ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE

The business model for software will have to evolve. Enterprise systems will have to support a more consumption and usage-based model as AI agents don't cleanly fit seats on software. There will likely continue to be seats for users within software, with AI agents paying more for extended usage. A lot still needs to happen before we fully see what the future holds for enterprise software.

HOW YOU PACKAGE IS HOW YOU SELL

Last year, there were 1,800 pricing changes across 500 SaaS companies, and the fastest-growing ones are updating pricing multiple times per month. If you aren't used to iterating on pricing, that probably feels daunting. This post breaks down a new book on the topic with three core ideas. First, PLG and SLG don't compete, they compete with each other. Second, pricing metrics must pass two tests: would the customer feel you've earned more of their wallet as usage scales, and can a new sales rep explain it in 15 seconds without slides? Third, limits are the connective tissue of GTM.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS

If you don't have firsthand customer intuition, you will only build the right thing if you get lucky on the millions of decisions it takes to build a great product. Last year, forward-deployed engineers were all the rage. In 2026, the goal should be to forward deploy everyone. The GTM founder talks to customers, tries to explain what they learned to the technical founder, and something gets lost in translation. That cycle repeats with more formal writeups, more prototypes, more frustration. Translation errors compound until you're building something nobody wants.

KLING

Kling is a self-hosted email marketing tool.

MIRO MIRO

Extract colors, fonts, images, and animations in one click.

SLED

Sled is an open-source mobile voice interface that lets users control local AI coding agents securely from their phone without code leaving their machine.

PLATFORM OF PLATFORMS

Humans used to be the connective tissue between systems of record. You'd grab information from Systems A and B, use it to update System C, then take action. Now agents do that work. This creates a problem for legacy SaaS. Existing systems of record work great in their own domain, but have no access outside it. If you're building right now, the opportunity isn't competing with legacy SaaS, it's the layer that sits on top.

ZAPIER'S CEO SHARES HIS PERSONAL AI STACK

Zapier's CEO, Wade Foster, shares how he integrates AI directly into Zapier's operations. His personal AI stack includes using Grok for talent discovery beyond traditional channels and developing interview evaluation agents. He emphasizes hands-on AI experience for leaders, encouraging experimentation and defining clear AI fluency expectations for roles.

THE DARK SIDE OF HOT SEED ROUNDS IN THE AGE OF AI

Three separate VC seed deals in 2025 where the founders simply decided to keep the money for themselves and not build the product.

THE DONE LIST

AI is transforming the traditional to-do list into a "done list" by completing tasks typically involving code, design, and other middle stages.

DISCORD'S IPO HERALDS A YEAR OF SOBRIETY

Discord filed for an IPO, marking a shift in how tech firms are valued.

RAISING MONEY FUCKED ME UP

The pressure you put on yourself can make you start to operate in a way that is counterproductive, even if you think you're doing what you think is best.