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PG_AI_QUERY — AI-POWERED SQL GENERATION & QUERY ANALYSIS FOR POSTGRESQL

pg_ai_query is a PostgreSQL extension that brings AI-powered query development directly into Postgres. It allows users to generate SQL from natural language, analyze query performance using AI interpreted EXPLAIN ANALYZE, receive index and rewrite recommendations, and leverage schema-aware query intelligence with secure introspection. pg_ai_query is designed to help developers write and tune SQL faster without switching tools to accelerate iteration across complex workloads. It integrates directly into PostgreSQL databases, providing a seamless way to query data using plain English.

MITTE

Mitte is an AI creative suite for designing, animating, and voicing content with studio-grade precision and performance.

CLEVER

Clever is an AI explainer that uses voice and live visuals to break down complex topics like a hyper-animated tutor on a digital whiteboard.

MISSION, VISION, POTAYTO, POTAHTO

Purpose requires figuring out the positive difference you can make in the world, writing that succinctly, then incorporating it into your strategy, positioning, and goals. Putting words you don't mean onto an 'About Us' page doesn't create a purpose. You don't have to be a mission-driven company to succeed - most startups are too busy making stuff anyway.

BOOM, BUBBLE, BUST, BOOM. WHY SHOULD AI BE DIFFERENT?

The AI revolution will only be three years old at the end of this month. We are likely months, not years, from the end of the party. While AI could be one of the biggest technology shifts in history, it will take way longer to see changes than currently predicted. The size of the current bubble is redefining how we look at previous bubbles. There is currently too much spending with too much leverage, and the deals are getting crazy. Competition with China is fierce - it is very possible that China could win the AI race.

SILLY SAAS RETENTION HACK

Show users how well they're succeeding with your tool as soon as they log in.

YOU CAN NOW BUY 'RARE' INACTIVE X USERNAMES

X's Handle Marketplace will allow Premium+ and Premium Business users to buy or claim usernames from old, inactive accounts.

THE MINUS ONE MINDSET

Minus One is a way of seeing and operating that drives constant reinvention.

WHY NETFLIX BUILT FAST.COM

ISPs were slowing down Netflix on purpose, so Netflix built its own speed testing service to prove to customers that ISPs were the problem.

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WE'RE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF UNICORN PRODUCTION IN 3+ YEARS

October 2025 saw the highest number of unicorns created in over three years, with 20 companies adding $44.5 billion in value. The funding environment shows signs of normalizing, particularly for B2B SaaS companies with strong metrics, while AI-native startups receive disproportionate attention from VCs. Although the bar for becoming a unicorn is high, those that succeed can achieve substantial valuations.

PRESENTATIONS

Benedict Evans has given presentations for many companies in the last few years, including Alphabet, Amazon, Hitachi, L'Oréal, LVMH, Nasdaq, and Vodafone. Twice a year, he produces a big presentation on the macro and strategic trends of the tech industry. This post contains the slides for November's presentation, 'AI eats the world'. It also contains videos for two other recent presentations.

FOUNDER ENERGY

Some founders channel a sense of momentum, energy, and intensity in all of their interactions. This can be a learned skill. Channeling great energy as a founder is key because it helps with recruiting talent and fundraising. The vibes matter a lot to employees taking a pay cut and to investors who are betting primarily on the founders.

THE SIMPLE SECRET TO INFLUENCE

Effective leaders elevate others by fostering environments where people feel empowered and valued. Techniques like asking open-ended questions and giving clear context promote engagement and confidence. Leaders gain influence by focusing on empowering others rather than showcasing their own brilliance.

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BUILDING MORE WITH GPT-5.1-CODEX-MAX

GPT-5.1-Codex-Max is trained to operate across multiple context windows through "compaction", allowing it to work over millions of tokens and complete tasks spanning 24+ hours. The model achieves 77.9% on SWE-bench Verified while using 30% fewer thinking tokens than its predecessor.

TESTSPRITE

TestSprite is an AI agent that automates frontend and backend software testing, cutting testing costs by up to 90% with natural language workflows and full test coverage.

ANVIL

Anvil tracks your brand's visibility across AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, compares mentions against competitors, and reveals opportunities to boost AI-generated search presence.

SO WHAT IF IT'S A BUBBLE?

Bubble dynamics don't matter to most founders because we all live in today's market and not in the future. Founders who have the ability to take advantage of the market should do so as long as it benefits their companies. If money is plentiful, you should probably take it - if the bubble bursts, the money will probably be useful. Great founders live in the kind of long term that radically reduces the impact of individual bubbles.

PSYCHOLOGIST MATT JONES ON WHY STARTUPS FAIL DUE TO CO-FOUNDER CONFLICT AND HOW TO FIX IT

65% of high-potential startups fail due to co-founder conflict, often stemming from choosing co-founders based on convenience rather than strategic fit. Meta-communication and containment strategies can prevent operational disagreements.

I LEFT A16Z TO GO BUILD

Robin Guo discusses the five lessons he learned from four years of working at a16z.

THE NEXT PRODUCT

New products don't need to be groundbreaking to succeed.

THE STATE OF THE VC MARKET

Later-stage VC is picking up since the dip, but deal count is trending down.

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THEMES FROM MY RECENT WEEK IN SILICON VALLEY

A wave of neo-labs focused on fine-tuning, tools, and enterprise adoption has emerged around major frontier model providers, but many of these will ultimately be tuck-in acquisitions rather than enduring standalone platforms. Alphabet is actively pursuing partnerships to expand TPU penetration beyond its own workloads. There is significant early-stage founder activity in AI infrastructure under a broad theme of US infrastructure onshoring and leadership. Robotics is now extremely hot - many companies are raising at high valuations with limited or no product.

MORE THAN THREE KINDS OF AI PRODUCTS WORK!

AI is not limited to just large language models. There are other types of models, such as classification models, audio transcription models, risk analysis models, and driving models. AI has the potential to provide billions of dollars in value to the world. This article provides an overview of the different types of AI out there.

BUILDING A 60% AI TEAM: EFFICIENT, PROFITABLE, AND SURPRISINGLY LONELY

AI may be a necessity in 2025 to be competitive. The unit economics alone make it almost impossible to justify hiring humans for many functions. Tutoring an AI is much easier in many cases. However, an AI team is a quiet one - it can be lonely when group meetings are gone and there's no one to grab after work drinks with.

I ANALYZED 1,000 FORWARD DEPLOYED ENGINEER JOBS: WHAT I LEARNED…

Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) are software engineers who embed directly with customers to build, deploy, and maintain complex technical systems in production. They are like a hybrid of a senior software engineer and a technical consultant. The role is exploding in growth because AI deployment is hard - companies need engineers who can ensure complex AI systems actually work in the real world. If you want to become an FDE, learn Python, get comfortable with AI/ML, build customer skills, be ready to travel, and target growth-stage startups.

PLATFORM PRODUCTS & METRICS MYTHS

Platform PM myths include believing all investments must have immediate ROI and that metrics must be instantly measurable. Metrics often need time to show value, and sharing ownership across teams can drive better outcomes. Platform innovations, though less visible, play crucial roles in long-term success by enhancing scalability, efficiency, and competitive differentiation.

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RAMP SHEETS

Ramp Sheets is an AI spreadsheet editor designed to 10x finance teams, operators, and founders. It plans, executes, and formats automatically and can be used to model budgets, forecast revenue, and reconcile financial statements. Ramp Sheets has all of the functionality of Excel and can also search the web, make targeted edits, answer questions about the data, and write formulas automatically. A short video demonstrating the editor is available in the thread.

WHY THE HELL IS IT SO HARD TO PRICE AN IPO?

IPO pricing looks random right now. Years without many listings created so much pent-up demand that almost anything gets swarmed, making it hard to read real investor interest. Layer on a bull market, where even shaky companies feel “safe enough,” and the signals get even messier. Banks still have to anchor pricing to peer multiples, not hype. Then algorithms jump on every small move and amplify it, which is why day one keeps catching people off guard.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE IS DEAD, AGAIN

If models keep getting better every nine to twelve months, what does that mean for software companies trying to stay relevant? Value is drifting toward the data layer, where Snowflake and Databricks already sit, while “application” companies increasingly blur into agent labs that train their own models and move down-stack.

MARKETPLACES IN THE AGE OF AI

AI can make unattractive unit economics 'work' and remove bottlenecks that would previously be inhibitors to scale.

AI IN PRACTICE SURVEY

The AI in Practice survey maps where adoption is happening, where the gaps are, and how teams are hardening and scaling AI in practice.

AI IS THE MARKET, AND THE MARKET IS THE GOVERNMENT

The US stock market heavily relies on AI speculation, driving economic growth and political stability despite underlying weaknesses.

STILLNESS & SCALE: BUILDING A STARTUP FROM A PLACE OF PEACE

Founders rarely talk about the tension between chasing big goals and wanting an inner life that isn't ruled by striving.

BUILDING THE TALENT ENGINE: HIRING YOUR FIRST RECRUITER

A first in-house recruiter makes sense if hiring more than one person monthly for a year, as it saves on costly agency fees.

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BUILD WHAT'S FUNDABLE

Technology is a tool. So is venture capital. We must not become a tool of our tools. Anchor yourself in beliefs. Otherwise, you'll assimilate and lose your individuality.

ONLY THREE KINDS OF AI PRODUCTS ACTUALLY WORK

There are three successful types of large language model products: chatbots, coding completion products, and agentic products. Summarization, translation, and transcription are more features of a chatbot product than products in their own right. LLM-generated feeds and video games based on AI-generated content don't work yet, but may soon. LLMs have a lot of potential, but most people are building copies of the same thing.

HOW TO SCALE DISTRIBUTED PRODUCT TEAMS FROM 10 TO 100+ IN 2025

Scaling a distributed product team can be very challenging. What gets you from 0 to 10 people won't get you to 50. Getting to 150 requires deliberately breaking working patterns and replacing them with new ones. Companies that successfully scale plan for their next stage while still in their current one. Scaling is about multiplication, not addition - create systems that enable others to do more.

EARNOUT BASICS

Earnouts look simple but hinge on details most founders don't control after the sale.

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