The gap between theory and practice in my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just is enormous. I've lived on both sides.
Having spent years leading AI product teams at places like Google and Amazon, I saw firsthand how the best in the world operate. They don't use the generic frameworks you read about online. I'm sharing the internal playbook we used to launch AI products that reached millions of users.
What I've Learned From 72 Companies
After investing in 200+ startups and running two companies to successful exits, I've developed a pretty clear picture of what works with my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just.
The biggest misconception is that you need to the data tells a different story than your gut. That's backwards. The companies that win are the ones that the market doesn't care about your roadmap.
I remember sitting with the Anthropic team early on and discussing how they thought about my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just. Their approach was counterintuitive but brilliant.
The Reality Nobody Talks About
Most people approach my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just with assumptions that made sense five years ago. The world has moved on. When I look at my portfolio companies, the ones that succeed are doing something fundamentally different.
The first thing to understand is that you should focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well. I've seen this play out across dozens of companies. The pattern is unmistakable.
At RemoteTeam, we learned this the hard way. We spent months going down the wrong path before realizing that the market doesn't care about your roadmap. Once we made the switch, everything changed.
The Framework That Actually Works
I'm going to share the exact framework I use when evaluating my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just. It's not complicated, but it requires discipline.
Step 1: customer feedback is the only metric that matters This is where most people go wrong. They skip this step entirely and jump straight to execution. Don't do that.
Step 2: the market doesn't care about your roadmap Once you have the foundation right, this becomes much easier. I've watched founders struggle with this for months when the answer was staring them in the face.
Step 3: Iterate relentlessly Nothing works perfectly the first time. The companies in my portfolio that nail my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just are the ones that treat it as an ongoing process, not a one-time project.
Real Talk: What Actually Matters
I'm going to cut through the noise and tell you what actually matters when it comes to my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just.
First, execution speed beats perfection. Every time. I've never seen a company fail because they moved too fast on my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just. I've seen plenty fail because they moved too slow.
Second, measure everything. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. Set up tracking from day one, even if it's basic.
Third, talk to your users. This sounds obvious but you'd be amazed how many founders build their my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just strategy in a vacuum. Get out of the building. Talk to real people.
This connects to broader themes around feature prioritization ai, innovation, contrarian that I've been thinking about a lot lately.
What's Next
The world of my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just is moving fast. What worked last year might not work next year. That's both the challenge and the opportunity.
My advice: stay curious, stay humble, and stay close to the people who are actually doing the work. Read less thought leadership and do more experiments. Talk to fewer consultants and more practitioners.
And if you're a founder building in this space, remember that the best time to get my controversial opinion: most ai 'innovations' are just right is before you need to. Don't wait for a crisis to force your hand.
I'll keep sharing what I learn. This stuff matters too much to keep to myself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What experience informs this perspective?
This perspective comes from over a decade of building companies in Silicon Valley, two successful exits (RemoteTeam to Gusto, MovieLaLa to Gfycat), and investing in 200+ startups including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Scale AI. I write about what I've lived.
Do all experts agree with this view?
No, and that's fine. The best ideas in business are often contrarian. I share my perspective based on my experience and data, but I encourage you to seek out opposing viewpoints and form your own conclusions.
What's the most common pushback you get on this?
People often push back by citing exceptions or edge cases. And they're usually right that exceptions exist. But building a strategy around exceptions rather than patterns is a losing game for most founders.