Built To Last: The Craft of Building What Matters

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

• Tobi Lütke’s leadership playbook – great leadership means challenging people to grow beyond their comfort zones, aligning joy and purpose with performance, and thinking long-term to create lasting impact. Success comes from balancing vision with execution – seeing around corners, caring deeply about the product, and fostering open, trust-building dialogue. And when fear creeps in, treat bold moves as experiments – focus on learning, not perfection.

• How I AI with Farhad Manjoo (former NYT columnist) – you’ll learn how AI has evolved into a powerful writing partner – helping with research, brainstorming, word choice, and refining drafts. It enhances your unique voice rather than replacing it, offering speed, support, and fresh perspective. You’ll also pick up practical tips for getting unstuck and see what’s next for AI in writing.

• The rise of Cursor: The $300M ARR AI tool that engineers can’t stop using | Michael Truell (co-founder and CEO) – Cursor’s journey highlights the power of early pivots, intense product usage, and custom AI models as key to success. As software development moves toward natural language and high-level design, engineers will focus more on what to build than how. In the AI era, intellectual curiosity and user-centric innovation matter more than ever – technical skill is essential, but taste and vision are the true differentiators.

• Inside monday.com’s transformation: radical transparency, impact over output, and their path to $1B ARR | Daniel Lereya (Chief Product and Technology Officer) – Monday.com thrives on radical transparency, ambitious goals, and a relentless focus on impact over output. Their timeboxed development and bold product launches fuel rapid innovation, while a strong culture of ownership and resilience empowers leaders to grow alongside the company.

• The hidden power of introverts: How to thrive without changing who you are | Susan Cain (author of “Quiet”) – introversion is a powerful, often misunderstood temperament that many successful people share. Rather than trying to “fix” it, introverts thrive by leaning into their strengths – deep focus, one-on-one connections, and thoughtful communication. With the right environment and strategies, introverts can lead, influence, and succeed on their own terms.