What Ship It and Regret It Is—and Isn’t
You’ve probably worked in a place that said all the right things—autonomy, innovation, collaboration.
But underneath the posters and the principles, the real message was:
Stay aligned. Smile through it.
This newsletter is for people who see that gap—and want a language to name it, a lens to understand it, and tools to navigate it.
Not to complain.
To clarify.
Who is this for?
If you’re a senior engineer, lead, or IC who’s felt the weight of:
Meetings that waste your time
Metrics that punish nuance
Roadmaps driven by narrative, not need
Culture decks that sound great and mean nothing
Teams that ship fast but learn nothing
…then you’re in the right place.
What this newsletter is
not
:
It’s not about my current or past employer
It’s not leadership bashing
It’s not performative cynicism
It’s not a diary or venting zone
It’s not about staying stuck in frustration
It’s a field manual for navigating performative systems—with clarity, precision, and minimal damage to your soul.
What I believe:
Most dysfunction isn’t personal—it’s systemic
Trust is more powerful than compliance
Velocity without clarity is a liability
Telling the truth doesn’t make you difficult
Culture is not what’s written down—it’s what gets rewarded and punished
Key ideas this newsletter builds on:
Management – When leadership gestures replace real decision-making
Velocity Theater – When teams ship to appear productive, not solve real problems
Strategic vs. Tactical vs. Optical Projects – A lens for evaluating effort and impact
Clarity vs. Precision – Why naming the problem isn’t enough if the org can’t absorb the truth
Tactical Rebellion – Smart, subversive ways to push change from inside the system
(Deep dives coming.)
If you’re here:
You want tools, not just takes
You want to survive broken systems without going numb
You want language that helps you push back—without getting cut from the CC chain
You still care about building things worth building
So do I.
Welcome.🙏