Built To Last: Product Quality, Career Resilience, and Leading in an AI World

Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly newsletter “Built To Last”, where I am sharing valuable insights on building high-quality products.

Each week, I curate articles and podcasts that caught my attention – resources that I believe are relevant and insightful for everyone looking to build a great product.

This Week’s Picks

• Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor) – sharp communication is a career superpower: lead with the “why,” handle objections before they arise, and make every word count. Small improvements stack fast – a little extra effort now wins you major impact later.

• OpenAI’s CPO on how AI changes must-have skills, moats, coding, startup playbooks, more – OpenAI is racing into the future: faster models, smarter ensembles, and a world where chat rules. Product teams must master fine-tuning, evals, and human-first design – or get left behind. The biggest prize? AI tutors that could change the lives of billions.

• How to avoid sleepwalking into irrelevance in the age of AI – in the AI age, doing good work isn’t enough – relevance beats experience. Stop waiting for roadmaps, titles, or “normal” to save you. Think like a CEO of your own career: adapt fast, self-manage like a pro, lead through influence, and move without having all the answers. The best antidote to fear? Action.

• Why “Shift Left” Keeps Failing – “Shift left” keeps failing because it’s become a vague slogan, not a real strategy. Without a shared definition, teams spin in circles. The fix? Be specific about what you mean, frame changes as experiments, and turn quality into a continuous, collaborative practice – not just a catchphrase.

• 13 Tech Career Misconceptions – in tech, it’s not about doing hard things – it’s about delivering real value and selling it well. Promotions, success, and influence don’t come from waiting for perfect projects or managers; they come from finding impact, framing results smartly, and leading your own growth. In the AI era and beyond, your career is a startup – build it like one.