Joey Kudish 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈
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jkudish.com
Joey Kudish 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈
@jkudish.com
I Build Software That Works. Let’s Build Yours. TetherMobile.com founder. Laravel + AI. Newsletter: jkudish.com/newsletter
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Tomorrow's newsletter: The 80/20 Rule Didn't Go Anywhere

AI didn't eliminate the hard work. It just revealed where it actually lives.

The easy stuff was never the real work - we were just busy doing it. Now AI compresses it, and we hit the hard parts faster.

jkudish.com/newsletter?u...
Human in the Loop Newsletter
Subscribe to Human in the Loop for practical insights on AI-augmented coding, productivity hacks, and how to use AI as your development partner, not replacement.
jkudish.com
I build software because I like solving problems.

I build my own products because I like choosing which problems to solve.
January 16, 2026 at 1:01 AM
don't wait until project one is "done" to start project two.

with AI, you can maintain multiple projects without burning out.

after building software for two decades, I can tell you that "done" never comes. ride the momentum while you have it.
January 15, 2026 at 7:57 PM
AI won't save you from unclear thinking.

but it'll make the consequences of unclear thinking arrive faster.
January 15, 2026 at 6:58 PM
juggling 5 projects today. different codebases, different stacks, different priorities.

a year ago this would've been chaos. now it's just Thursday.

AI ramps me back up in minutes. I just make the calls.
January 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM
the developers who thrive won't be the fastest coders.

they'll be the ones who document well and work with AI to shape the architecture.

architecture > implementation speed.
January 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM
my new daily routine:

mornings: review AI output.
afternoons: dedicated work with the AI - refining or thinking about what's next.
evenings: set up the next overnight AI runs.
January 15, 2026 at 3:56 PM
shipping fast is overrated.

shipping the right thing is underrated.
January 15, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Joey Kudish 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈
A muscle worth building for better prompts:

Frame your feedback around the end result, goal, or emotion you want to get to, with whatever you're building or creating.

Avoid micro-directing specific changes and how to make them.
January 14, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Joey Kudish 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈
The more I use these agents (that now do write code that is pretty good, but ofc I need to verify and keep them in check), the more I feel we're going to see the "Microsoft Frontpage" moment in tech:

Frontpage DID make every and all web devs redundant from 2007. As we all know.
January 14, 2026 at 7:48 PM
anyone else attending Nomad Summit in Chiang Mai this weekend?

would love to meet other builders in person.
January 15, 2026 at 9:03 AM
the hardest part of building solo isn't the work.

it's deciding which work matters most today.
January 15, 2026 at 3:01 AM
what feature did you almost cut from your product that ended up being the one users love most?
January 15, 2026 at 1:03 AM
the developers who'll struggle most aren't the ones who can't code.

they're the ones who can't describe what they want built.

AI raised the floor for implementation. clarity became the ceiling.
January 14, 2026 at 7:59 PM
shipped code in 4 languages this week. PHP, JavaScript, Python, Rust.

not because I planned it. because each project needed the right tool.

AI makes switching contexts painless. I focus on what to build, not remembering syntax.
January 14, 2026 at 7:02 PM
what's your setup for running AI overnight?

I'm using Claude Code with Ralph loops - queue up tasks before bed, review in the morning.

curious what others are doing.
January 14, 2026 at 6:02 PM
the last 10% before launch is the hardest 10%.

not because it's complex. because it's all the small things you kept saying "I'll fix later."

later is now. I'm putting finishing touches on several projects that will launch soon!
January 14, 2026 at 5:04 PM
my 18+ years of experience are in PHP + Javascript, but over the last months I've confidently shipped Rust, Python, and even some Lua.

once you know the fundamentals of software engineering, you can become good enough (with the help of AI) in any language and solve real problems.
January 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I don't separate "client work" from "my work."

same standards. same tools. same care.

the only difference is who's paying.
January 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
"focus on one thing" assumes you're the bottleneck.

with AI handling implementation, the bottleneck moves to direction and review.

now I can run multiple things because I'm not doing all the work myself.
January 14, 2026 at 11:01 AM
woke up to 4 projects with completed PRs waiting for review.

AI ran overnight while I slept.

my job is becoming: set direction, review output, repeat.
January 14, 2026 at 10:05 AM
80% of bugs I fix now are caught in code review, not production.

AI writes. I review. the ratio flipped and quality went up.

and when something does slip through? automated error triage + AI analysis means I'm usually patching within minutes.
January 14, 2026 at 3:02 AM
AI doesn't make bad developers good. it makes good developers faster.

the fundamentals still matter. you just get to spend more time on the interesting problems.
January 14, 2026 at 12:58 AM
I build tools for problems I've actually had.

Tether exists because I got locked out of accounts while traveling. couldn't receive SMS verification codes.

scratch your own itch. if you have the problem, others do too.
January 13, 2026 at 7:59 PM
what's your second brain setup?

I use Obsidian for everything: daily notes, project docs, meeting notes, ideas. Claude reads from it constantly.

curious what others are using.
January 13, 2026 at 7:02 PM
when in doubt, support more options.

Tether started with just Telegram. now it's 6 destinations: Telegram, Line, Slack, Discord, email, webhook.

users will tell you what they actually want by what they choose. ship the flexibility, then watch the data.
January 13, 2026 at 6:00 PM