Justin Jackson+

V2 of the API is coming soon! Plus, we just released an MCP: transistor.fm/cha

V2 of the API is coming soon! Plus, we just released an MCP: transistor.fm/changelog/tr...

Yup! 100%

Yup! 100%

This warms my heart! I want excellent customer service to be our #1 feature at

This warms my heart! I want excellent customer service to be our #1 feature at @transistor.fm! Thank you.

Haha.

Haha.

The good ‘ol tape drive. (Sharp MZ-2500, 1985)

The good ‘ol tape drive. (Sharp MZ-2500, 1985)

The good ‘ol tape drive. (Sharp MZ-2500, 1985)

The good ‘ol tape drive. (Sharp MZ-2500, 1985)

Just published this thought: "Well, that was easy!" Curious what you think...

Just published this thought: "Well, that was easy!" Curious what you think...

Just published this thought: "This should be easier" Curious what you think..

Just published this thought: "This should be easier" Curious what you think...

I asked Claude to analyze @thepanel.bsky.social (using the @transistor.fm MCP se

I asked Claude to analyze @thepanel.bsky.social (using the @transistor.fm MCP server), and it basically told me the show's been more popular since @jordangal.bsky.social joined the show. 🤣

"The internet is different than it was even three to five years ago. It does kin

"The internet is different than it was even three to five years ago. It does kind of feel like in this age of AI... there's a bit of a craving for authenticity, for human connection." 100%!

Kudos to @jsonperl.florp.org and @jonbuda.com for building this!

Kudos to @jsonperl.florp.org and @jonbuda.com for building this!

Just published this thought: "An Update on Justin and Wildfires" Curious what

Just published this thought: "An Update on Justin and Wildfires" Curious what you think...

Back in 2000, while still in college, I read this article about the founders of

Back in 2000, while still in college, I read this article about the founders of Great Harvest Bread Co. Their philosophy on life changed how I thought about building a business: justinjackson.ca/the-good-life

Back in 2000, while still in college, I read this article about the founders of

Back in 2000, while still in college, I read this article about the founders of Great Harvest Bread Co. Their philosophy on life changed how I thought about building a business: https://justinjackson.ca/the-good-life

Same, same.

Same, same.

Same, same.

Same, same.

I pre-ordered this book. Highly recommended if you have an existing SaaS and wan

I pre-ordered this book. Highly recommended if you have an existing SaaS and want to find new ways to unlock growth.

IBM Executary 224 Portable Dictation System, 1960 (via formlab)

IBM Executary 224 Portable Dictation System, 1960 (via formlab)

IBM Executary 224 Portable Dictation System, 1960 (via formlab)

IBM Executary 224 Portable Dictation System, 1960 (via formlab)

Peter Block: “An adult-to-adult relationship as one in which you are ‘able to a

Peter Block: “An adult-to-adult relationship as one in which you are ‘able to ask for what you want, knowing that the answer may be No and negotiating the difference.”

Peter Block: “An adult-to-adult relationship as one in which you are ‘able to as

Peter Block: “An adult-to-adult relationship as one in which you are ‘able to ask for what you want, knowing that the answer may be No and negotiating the difference.”

GREAT quote from a 2020 Hacker News thread: "Sales is a lot like golf. You can

GREAT quote from a 2020 Hacker News thread: "Sales is a lot like golf. You can make it so complicated as to be impossible, or you can simply walk up and hit the ball. I've been leading and building sales orgs for almost 20 years, and my advice is to walk up and hit the ball." h/t @thorstenball.com

GREAT quote from a 2020 Hacker News thread: "Sales is a lot like golf. You can m

GREAT quote from a 2020 Hacker News thread: "Sales is a lot like golf. You can make it so complicated as to be impossible, or you can simply walk up and hit the ball. I've been leading and building sales orgs for almost 20 years, and my advice is to walk up and hit the ball." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23285438 (via Thorsten Ball)

I’ve heard about this Posthog thing! I gotta check that out.

I’ve heard about this Posthog thing! I gotta check that out.

In business, three of your biggest risks are: - competitors who understand the c

In business, three of your biggest risks are: - competitors who understand the customer better than you - competitors who care more about the customer than you - competitors who can act on those insights faster and better than you

In business, three of your biggest risks are: - competitors who understand the

In business, three of your biggest risks are: - competitors who understand the customer better than you - competitors who care more about the customer than you - competitors who can act on those insights faster and better than you

Back on the mics today! Join us!

Back on the mics today! Join us!

Nothing hits harder than a 1987 PC Magazine editorial cartoon

Nothing hits harder than a 1987 PC Magazine editorial cartoon

Nothing hits harder than a 1987 PC Magazine editorial cartoon

Nothing hits harder than a 1987 PC Magazine editorial cartoon

WHAT’S IN THERE

WHAT’S IN THERE

“Aim for Protopia. A protopian future is one that is only a little tiny bit bett

“Aim for Protopia. A protopian future is one that is only a little tiny bit better than today.” – Kevin Kelly

“Aim for Protopia. A protopian future is one that is only a little tiny bit bett

“Aim for Protopia. A protopian future is one that is only a little tiny bit better than today.” – Kevin Kelly https://open.substack.com/pub/kevinkelly/p/protopia?r=5c3qv&utm_medium=ios

Kevin Kelly on the new economy: “When copies are free, you need to sell things

Kevin Kelly on the new economy: “When copies are free, you need to sell things which can not be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? There are a number of qualities that can’t be copied. Consider “trust.” You can’t purchase trust.” open.substack.com/pub/kevinkel...

Kevin Kelly on the new economy: “When copies are free, you need to sell things w

Kevin Kelly on the new economy: “When copies are free, you need to sell things which can not be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? There are a number of qualities that can’t be copied. Consider “trust.” You can’t purchase trust.” https://open.substack.com/pub/kevinkelly/p/better-than-free?r=5c3qv&utm_medium=ios

👀 Interesting rebuttal to Jonathan Haidt's "Anxious Generation" > "As a society

👀 Interesting rebuttal to Jonathan Haidt's "Anxious Generation" > "As a society we have almost a knee-jerk reaction to believe that the solution to any problem experienced by kids is to deprive them of yet one more freedom" https://archive.ph/uIcCC

👀 Interesting rebuttal to Jonathan Haidt's "Anxious Generation" > "As a societ

👀 Interesting rebuttal to Jonathan Haidt's "Anxious Generation" > "As a society we have almost a knee-jerk reaction to believe that the solution to any problem experienced by kids is to deprive them of yet one more freedom" archive.ph/uIcCC

Writing code is no longer a hard or rare skill, and that changes things. Great

Writing code is no longer a hard or rare skill, and that changes things. Great post by @thorstenball.com: "I want to shake them and go: man, don’t you see? All of it was built on the assumption that code is expensive! It doesn’t make sense anymore." registerspill.thorstenball.com/p/joy-and-cu...

Writing code is no longer a hard or rare skill, and that changes things. Great p

Writing code is no longer a hard or rare skill, and that changes things. Great post by @mrnugget: "I want to shake them and go: man, don’t you see? All of it was built on the assumption that code is expensive! And most of it doesn’t make sense anymore when code is cheap. Yes, the need to do proper engineering won’t go away. But many things will, because a single constant in a very fundamental equa

Congrats!!

Congrats!!

Yup. “Is this brand real? Can I trust them?” will be more important than ever.

Yup. “Is this brand real? Can I trust them?” will be more important than ever.

The questions that actually matter are the ones that were always hard: is there

The questions that actually matter are the ones that were always hard: is there demand, is there a business model, is this a category I want to be in?

The software products that succeed will need to have: → Distribution. Can you ac

The software products that succeed will need to have: → Distribution. Can you actually get people to find the thing? → Taste. Do you know what to build, and what to leave out? → Trust. Why should people trust you and your brand? → Founder/market fit. Do you have passion and advantages in this market? Indie entrepreneurs need to stack every advantage they have, and increasingly "coding" won't be th

Looking at different Slacks I'm in, so many people I know are building new apps.

Looking at different Slacks I'm in, so many people I know are building new apps. With this much software flooding the market, do any of us have a chance anymore? (I mean, it was hard to build a profitable software company before AI; now it feels even harder!) My guess is that people will still want to buy certain types of software and tools "off-the-shelf."

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? In e

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? In economics, when you increase the supply of something, its market value goes down (and so does the price). Up until now, software was valuable because it was hard to make. You needed a team of engineers, money, and time.

I remember in the early days of the iOS App Store, you could sell a fart app and

I remember in the early days of the iOS App Store, you could sell a fart app and make a lot of money. But once everyone was making fart apps, nobody could make money on them. When fart apps were no longer scarce, their value to the market dropped. Generally, the economy rewards difficulty and rarity. If something is hard to do or make, you get to charge more. So if AI reduces the time it takes to

Indie entrepreneurs need to stack every advantage they have, and increasingly "c

Indie entrepreneurs need to stack every advantage they have, and increasingly "coding" won't be the advantage it once was. The questions that actually matter are the ones that were always hard: is there demand, is there a business model, is this a category I want to be in?

The software products that succeed will need to have: → Distribution. Can you a

The software products that succeed will need to have: → Distribution. Can you actually get people to find the thing? → Taste. Do you know what to build, and what to leave out? → Trust. Why should people trust you and your brand? → Founder/market fit. Do you have passion + advantages in this market?

With this much software flooding the market, do any of us have a chance anymore?

With this much software flooding the market, do any of us have a chance anymore? (I mean, it was hard to build a profitable software company before AI; now it feels even harder!)

Generally, the economy rewards difficulty and rarity. If something is hard to do

Generally, the economy rewards difficulty and rarity. If something is hard to do or make, you get to charge more. So if AI reduces the time it takes to build software, what happens to the value of software? Looking at different Slacks I'm in, so many people I know are building new apps.

I remember in the early days of the iOS App Store, you could sell a fart app and

I remember in the early days of the iOS App Store, you could sell a fart app and make a lot of money. But once everyone was making fart apps, nobody could make money on them. When fart apps were no longer scarce, their value to the market dropped.

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? In

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? In economics, when you increase the supply of something, its market value goes down (and so does the price). Up until now, software was valuable because it was hard to make. You needed a team of engineers, money, and time.

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? (Sof

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? (Software that would have taken years to build now takes days) https://justinjackson.ca/software-fable

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? (So

When more people can build software, what happens to the value of software? (Software that would have taken years to build now takes days) justinjackson.ca/software-fable

Instagram Reels / TikTok - a surprisingly popular response. People get exposed t

Instagram Reels / TikTok - a surprisingly popular response. People get exposed to a podcast clip, and if they like it, the algorithm will continue to serve up clips from that podcast. This leads people to feel like they are regular consumers and fans of that show.

Instagram Reels / TikTok - a surprisingly popular response. People get exposed t

Instagram Reels / TikTok - a surprisingly popular response. People get exposed to a podcast clip, and if they like it, the algorithm will continue to serve up clips from that podcast. This leads people to feel like they are regular consumers and fans of that show.

YouTube - the majority of people who've started consuming podcasts in the last ~

YouTube - the majority of people who've started consuming podcasts in the last ~5 years. Every generation (boomers, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha). By far the most popular response I get.

Spotify - generally millennials and Gen Z who were introduced to high-quality au

Spotify - generally millennials and Gen Z who were introduced to high-quality audio-only experiences like Serial, Gimlet, etc., at a crucial time in their life.

Apple Podcasts - Gen X folks who have been in the Apple ecosystem since the iTun

Apple Podcasts - Gen X folks who have been in the Apple ecosystem since the iTunes days. This is still podcasting's "premium tier" – it's the upper-middle class, folks with money that are hard to reach that advertisers covet.

YouTube - the majority of people who've started consuming podcasts in the last ~

YouTube - the majority of people who've started consuming podcasts in the last ~5 years. Every generation (boomers, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha). By far the most popular response I get.

Apple Podcasts - Gen X folks who have been in the Apple ecosystem since the iTun

Apple Podcasts - Gen X folks who have been in the Apple ecosystem since the iTunes days. This is still podcasting's "premium tier" – it's the upper-middle class, folks with money that are hard to reach that advertisers covet.

Spotify - generally millennials and Gen Z who were introduced to high-quality au

Spotify - generally millennials and Gen Z who were introduced to high-quality audio-only experiences like Serial, Gimlet, etc., at a crucial time in their life.

Whenever I can, I ask "normal people" (friends at the coffee shop, Uber drivers,

Whenever I can, I ask "normal people" (friends at the coffee shop, Uber drivers, people I meet at meetups) how they consume podcasts. This is the general trend:

Whenever I can, I ask "normal people" (friends at the coffee shop, Uber drivers,

Whenever I can, I ask "normal people" (friends at the coffee shop, Uber drivers, people I meet at meetups) how they consume podcasts. This is the general trend:

He's 18!

He's 18!

We should!

We should!

Thanks!

Thanks!

I'm having my son replace all the AI-generated art on my blog with his hand-draw

I'm having my son replace all the AI-generated art on my blog with his hand-drawn art. He just finished his first piece for my "Calm Company" post: https://justinjackson.ca/calm-company

I'm having my son replace the AI-generated art on my blog with his hand-drawn ar

I'm having my son replace the AI-generated art on my blog with his hand-drawn art. He just finished his first piece for my popular "Calm Company" post: justinjackson.ca/calm-company

Big companies aren't hiring juniors anymore, which sucks for young people. This

Big companies aren't hiring juniors anymore, which sucks for young people. This year we hired Ian, a CompSci student, as our summer intern at @transistor He's been making a podcast about his experience, and just interviewed me: https://share.transistor.fm/s/abfc686a?ck_subscriber_id=1348918468

Big companies aren't hiring juniors anymore, which sucks for young people. This

Big companies aren't hiring juniors anymore, which sucks for young people. This year we hired Ian, a CompSci student, as our summer intern at @transistor.fm He's been making a podcast about his experience, and just interviewed me: share.transistor.fm/s/abfc686a?c...

It's wild to me that even with the best AI coding models at its disposal, Google

It's wild to me that even with the best AI coding models at its disposal, Google still hasn't made Google Forms better.

It's wild to me that even with the best AI coding models at its disposal, Google

It's wild to me that even with the best AI coding models at its disposal, Google still hasn't made Google Forms better.

A few thoughts off the top of my head: - Distribution/marketing - sponsorships,

A few thoughts off the top of my head: - Distribution/marketing - sponsorships, hiring influencers, buying ads, merch, swag - AI / LLMs / harnesses (obviously! but hard for indie businesses to enter that market) - Servers/hosting - Staffing up on key roles that drive the business forward (sales)

To find a new business opportunity, ask: Where are people/businesses spending mo

To find a new business opportunity, ask: Where are people/businesses spending money right now?" and "Where are people/businesses looking to spend money right now?

To find a new business opportunity, ask: "Where are people/businesses spending

To find a new business opportunity, ask: "Where are people/businesses spending money right now?" and "Where are people/businesses looking to spend money right now?"

tech people: "Claude Code and Claude Design are going to revolutionize websites!

tech people: "Claude Code and Claude Design are going to revolutionize websites!" government website: "hello."

tech people: "Claude Code and Claude Design are going to revolutionize websites!

tech people: "Claude Code and Claude Design are going to revolutionize websites!" government website: "hello."

Following up @johnrudolphdrexler.com and @coulb.com's thought here: "devs need t

Following up @johnrudolphdrexler.com and @coulb.com's thought here: "devs need to think like product people." I'm wondering how scalable that is, in practice? How many "product manager-type thinkers" can one team have? If you have a team of 100 engineers, what does "thinking like a PM" look like?

## Where are the Gen Z creators? One thing that concerns me is that I didn't see

## Where are the Gen Z creators? One thing that concerns me is that I didn't see many creators on the conference floor, and even more concerning was the lack of young creators. The podcast charts are currently dominated by: Gen X & Older Millennials: Joe Rogan (58), Dax Shepard (51), Bill Simmons (56), Amy Poehler (54), and Dr. Andrew Huberman (49). Core Millennials (Ages 30-39): Alex Cooper (31),

the first surgery simulation game

the first surgery simulation game

Here is a demo of @transistor's new video podcast hosting + distribution feature

Here is a demo of @transistor's new video podcast hosting + distribution features. Upload one video file, and we'll automatically publish that video episode to YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify (coming soon), and HLS in RSS! As you know, I'm particularly excited about HLS video being distributed through RSS (in the `alternateEnclosure`). Recently, Amazon Music announced that it will support this. h

I've been reflecting on something @dave said: "Technology will always do it's wo

I've been reflecting on something @dave said: "Technology will always do it's worst thing." In the early 90s, the internet was so small and quaint. All this technology, in everyone's hands, has just produced so much stuff. It's had so many effects, in every direction. Wrote about it here: https://justinjackson.ca/tech-done-to-us

@dave who was that philosopher you quoted on the Podcasting 2.0 show? You said s

@dave who was that philosopher you quoted on the Podcasting 2.0 show? You said something like "technology will always do it's worst thing." I've been quoting that endlessly since I heard you say it; now I need the source!

I'll be live on the New Media Show today with podcast hall-of-famer, @robgreenle

I'll be live on the New Media Show today with podcast hall-of-famer, @robgreenlee. We'll definitely be chatting about video podcasting, HLS, AI, and the future of RSS. https://www.youtube.com/live/fF5ybfLA7r0 #podcast

The idea that podcasts were always meant to be "audio only" is just not true. He

The idea that podcasts were always meant to be "audio only" is just not true. Here's Steve Jobs demoing video podcasts in iTunes/iPod back in 2005: https://youtu.be/gVd_ylNvma0?si=CE1axeOAbShlUV_k #podcast

Hard technical problems don't necessarily translate into profitable businesses.

Hard technical problems don't necessarily translate into profitable businesses. "People sometimes mistake hard problems (in the computer science sense) for valuable problems(in the business sense)." – Ryan King, CZI Science https://justinjackson.ca/hard-valuable

The Digg reboot has failed. (Although they're regrouping to try again) Building

The Digg reboot has failed. (Although they're regrouping to try again) Building anything social in 2026 is hard because sophisticated AI bots quickly overwhelm the site with fake posts. https://thedailyperspective.org/article/2026-03-13-diggs-rapid-unravelling-reveals-the-deep-cost-of-bot-warfare-54f5cc40

“Will Claude Code ruin our team?” https://justinjackson.ca/claude-code-ruin

“Will Claude Code ruin our team?” https://justinjackson.ca/claude-code-ruin

"AI is causing a Mexican standoff on software teams" – Marc Andreessen https://y

"AI is causing a Mexican standoff on software teams" – Marc Andreessen https://youtu.be/2hFWqR4yHjs

Most people could automate more of their lives, but they don't. They could use A

Most people could automate more of their lives, but they don't. They could use Apple Shortcuts, enable home automation (smart lights, smart furnace), use keyboard shortcuts, etc... But most people don't. Most people will just keep traveling the same simple path they've always taken.