Software on Greg Herlein

Builders Build

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:01 -0800

From a certain point of view, there are two kinds of people in the world: builders and not-builders. This isn’t judgment—it’s observation. Some people consume. Others create. Builders can’t help it.

SaaS is Dead, Long Live Platforms

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:01 -0800

AI has made code cheap and abundant. The scarce resource is now knowing what to build, not how. This is creating a rapid split between companies that sell workflows and companies that sell capabilities. Only one of these will survive.

AI-Boosted Building - It's All About Agency

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:01 -0800

A Scottish football manager once said, “Some people think football is more important than life. But they are wrong. It’s much more important than that.” When intelligence becomes a utility, the ability to ACT on it becomes everything. In today’s software world, Agency is more important than anything else!

Don't Miss the Train!

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:00:01 -0800

The AI train has left the station. Some of us are on board, generating entire modules from specs. Others are still on the platform debating whether the train is even real. Four smart people wrote about this shift this past week. They all agree on what it means. And I agree with them.

The Three Tiers of Software Development (Where will you land?)

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:01 -0800

Software development is stratifying into three distinct tiers. Where you land will determine whether you make more money, the same, or far less than today.

Agentic Programming: The New Robot Revolution!

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 00:00:01 -0800

The evolution of AI-assisted programming has reached a pivotal moment, transforming from simple code completion to truly collaborative AI agents. This shift represents not just an improvement in tooling, but a fundamental change in how software is developed.

Foundations of High-Performance Engineering Teams

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 00:00:01 -0800

The US Navy gave me a solid foundation in leadership and operational excellence. But translating that into the business world requires a few more things.

Review: Blowing up the Monolith

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 08:00:01 -0800

Book review - free “Blowing up the Monolith” book from Kong.