human | partial to curiosity & natural light | believes in magic
San Francisco, CA
Joined March 2011
- Tweets4K
- Following1.3K
- Followers1.2K
- Likes16.4K
everything is a sales funnel
message sells the open/listen (attention)
open sells the meeting (time)
meeting sells the 2nd meeting (pitch)
2nd meeting sells the offer (sale)
start with the first step, not the last
true in dating, recruiting, fundraising, job hunting, etc.
quite clear that "paperwork" is going the same way as "hanging up the phone"
our grandkids will have no idea what it means
you know the title "founder" is now meaningless because cos are giving out "founding" titles at companies with $1B in run rate
proud to be small investor in and supporter of @ayanb and @WithAmpersand
extremely challenging technical problem with tier 1 team that will deliver real automation across enterprises globally
Your AI is vaporware without deep integrations with your customers’ systems of record.
Introducing @WithAmpersand: integration infrastructure for enterprise agents.
We power 11x, Orb, and Square's ability to take agentic action in systems of record like Salesforce, SAP, NetSuite, and Workday.
Ask anyone serious about building AI and they’ll tell you:
- The SaaSpocalypse didn’t happen. The world depends on CRMs, ERPs, HRISs, and ITSMs.
- Your customers customized their deployments beyond recognition.
- Systems of record companies are basically monopolies. They never had to make their APIs and MCPs user-friendly.
- Docs don't explain half the weird edge cases you'll hit.
- One bad write can blow up your pilot or renewal.
- Once you finally get it working, someone changes a field and it breaks again.
The world's data lives in structured databases. AI needs a translation layer to work with it.
So, for your AI to truly transform the way enterprises work, you'll need deep integrations built for:
- scoped permissions
- bi-directional actions
- real-time speed for agents
- custom objects, fields, and workflows for each of your customers
We built Ampersand to power the future of software.
AI didn't trivialize writing integrations. It made them the critical path.
I believe that deeply, so I didn't make a launch video about Ampersand.
Instead, it's the best builders I know explaining just how big of a challenge this is.
traditional identity and access management systems are now completely broken and business limiting
need to rethink from ground up
you can't compete against this
The @BostonCollege Investment Committee (an LP and my beloved alma mater) asked for a few thoughts on what's happening in AI. I recorded a test run yesterday morning and then shared it with my partners, who encouraged me to share it more broadly... so here you go!
This is not a sales pitch, it's just a reflection on what we're seeing. And it wasn't intended to be shared, so please pardon the rough edges.
loom.com/share/c016702964a04…
entrepreneurship is never a waste of time, but it certainly can feel like it when each model release destroys the unique value of 100+ startups.
the bad news is that you have to start over. the good news is that you are wiser. ride the wave. don't swim against the current.
the problem with vibecoding is that people mistake building a "productive" system as productivity itself
95% of what gets built never gets used and is simply procrastination
Patrick Despres-Gallagher retweeted
After months of writing, 'How to Unclench' is finally live!
It's an interactive essay packed with stories, science & guided practices to help you unclench.
→ howtounclench.com
the creative paradox
you always create average work w/ many people in mind - definitionally, it sort of resonates with everyone (ergo no one)
you sometimes create incredible work for one person (often yourself) who you want to love it - and if you're lucky, other people do too