Link Post: Hard mode
Joan Westenberg - The Cult of Hard Mode: Why Simplicity Offends Tech Elites Summary: There is a moment in nearly every founder's journey when they abandon the elegant for the elaborate. It’s not when they scale past 10 employees or when they land their Series A. It usually happens much earlier, and it starts with a tool. A friend recommends Apple Notes. Another swears by a simple Airtable base. But our founder wants to feel (key word) serious. So they build a fortress in Notio...
Jack Baty - Hard Mode and status Summary: Joan Westenberg, in The Cult of Hard Mode: Why Simplicity Offends Tech Elites: …hard mode is where status lives. This is exactly what I’ve been thinking about lately. It hurts to hear it out loud. Read the article, but here are a few quotes that reminded me how far down the complexity rabbit holes I’ve traveled. And under it all is the same impulse: make it harder than it nee...
Jack Baty - Hard Mode and blogging Summary: I've been thinking a lot about the Joan Westenberg post that I linked to yesterday. Is there really an allure of status around doing things the hard way? I think there is, and I'll usually take the cred where I can get it. Last night I was thinking about this in the context of blogging. As much as I love the idea of static websites, it's hard to argue that they're not the "hard mode" of bloggi...
Jeremy Friesen - Re: The Cult of Hard Mode Summary: Earlier this week I read Joan’s The Cult of Hard Mode: Why Simplicity Offends Tech Elites, something I had skipped over until I read Jack’s Hard Mode and status (and follow-up Hard Mode and blogging). Jack writes quick thoughts, fluttering between changing out entire tool sets for his various workflows. Joan writes extended thoughts, creating a pathway that explores the thought and relations. I...