AI is the New Gold Rush – But Most People Are Still Digging in the Wrong Place
Everyone's racing toward AI right now. And I get it – the promise is real.
But here's what I'm seeing: most companies are asking the wrong question.
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Everyone Wants AI—But Nobody Can Explain What They Actually Need
Yesterday while getting my oil changed, a guy saw "Lucus Labs" on my hat & jacket, and asked what we do. I told him we build AI, cybersecurity, and integration software for SMBs and enterprises.
His response? "Could you join my company's board to help with AI?"
Plot twist: He doesn't have a company. But he's convinced when he starts one, he'll need AI because "it's the future."
Before I could even respond, another guy chimes in. He wants me to join his company's board too—even though he's not on it and has no decision-making authority. He just knows they've been "talking about AI for years" and testing random tools that never actually do anything useful.
Two strangers. Two completely different situations. Same problem.
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AI Doesn’t Learn Just Because You Use It
It's time we level-set expectations when it comes to AI.
Your AI isn't getting smarter just because you're using it.
And honestly? If it was, you'd probably be concerned.
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The Real Job of a Technical Leader: Removing Constraints
Most people think a technical leader's job is to have all the answers.
It's not.
Your real job? Remove the constraints slowing your teams down.
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I Lost a Brilliant Engineer
One of our customers, a large call center, challenged us with developing a noise cancellation app that runs directly on their agents' computers, provides real-time speech-to-text transcribing, and leverages AI to ensure the agents follow the company's customer service talk tracks.
My engineers were already busy working on defects and implementing new feature requests for our AI platform, Symbient.ai, and our other products too.
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I've Lost Friends While Building Businesses — And Gained Clarity About People
Building a business is hard. But figuring out who should be building it with you... that’s the part nobody warns you about.
My entrepreneurial journey has been a mix of wins and wipeouts. I’ve built and sold several companies, and I’ve had a few fall apart. When I look back, the successes and failures usually came down to the same thing: people.
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The Engineer’s Approach to Leadership: Fixing the System, Not the Symptoms
Most leadership problems aren't people problems—they're system problems wearing people-problem costumes.
I spent years as an engineer before moving into leadership, and honestly? That engineering brain has been my secret weapon.
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Bigger Isn't Always Better
Does your AI chatbot really need to understand the complete works of William Shakespeare before it can answer a customer's billing question?
Probably not.
Yet here we are—watching companies chase bigger and bigger AI models, convinced that if the first attempt didn't work perfectly, the solution must be MORE. More data. More parameters. More everything.
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Employee Surveillance / “bossware” and Workplace Privacy
A few days ago, I posted about a project I built at a previous company—using Raspberry Pis to track Bluetooth-enabled devices worn by care providers. The goal? Make sure they were actually doing their job and not just billing insurance companies for time they didn't work.
We tested it at our own company HQ first. And even though the data was anonymous, people freaked out. "You're tracking us?" "Is this legal?" "Do you not trust us?"
The post I wrote about it? Also controversial.
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Automation vs. Hiring: The Bet Every Leader Is Making Right Now
I've been thinking a lot about this a lot lately.
We're at this weird crossroads where automation is stupid easy to implement. A few clicks, maybe some API calls, and boom—you've replaced what used to be someone's full-time job.
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