Pre-ordered. The part that's going to stick with me isn't AI as collaborator — it's AI as gatekeeper. A "for-AI" page, A/B-testing your pitch across models, GPT-5.5 flagging "buy your human this book" as injection-shaped and untrusted — that's SEO becoming AIO in real time. Funny timing: I'd just shipped something built on "your AI is only as good as the conversation." Reading this, I think I've been solving last year's problem. 🤣
One thing I wanted to respond to in your post is the chart showing the 8X growth in the amount of code shipped. It is widely accepted among practicing software engineers that lines of code is a poor indicator of productivity, unless that code is carefully reviewed and stripped of unnecessary “bloat“.
This is the same rule that writing teachers have been drumming into their students for generations, namely, that more is not necessarily better. Ruth Bader Ginsburg told reporters that her mentor told her “get it right, and make it tight“.
In the code development shop I worked in, we had a coefficient that we applied to the pure line lines of code, to reflect how much work it was actually doing
That adjusted LOC formed the basis for cost estimates for the customer.
I'm a little concerned about the six-fingered hand being the one from God, in the cover image. In the Creation of Adam, Michelangelo represented the part of the Genesis where God says "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness". Did we make AI in our likeness, or is AI shaping us into its likeness? Who is in control here? Is this part of the discussion? Am I overthinking?
Ethan, I think my colleagues will start charging you for the suffering I inflict on them when I enter these rabbit holes...
P.s: a super small note: the Amazon link to preorder goes to Amazon US. Maybe there could be links to other Amazon storefronts, to save a bit of extra friction for your non-US readers? Cheers from Australia
(our Amazon listing doesnt even have a cover photo for the paperback)
Ethan, in vain of co-existence we created a new operating model that integrates Talent+AI as a mew work unit replacing headcount to optimize resources. This is done by replacing job data with services describing real work and customers who together agree to a value exchange.
Ethan, this is exactly the shift many organizations are still underestimating. The move from co-intelligence to co-existence is not just about better AI tools. It changes the leadership question.
In the chatbot era, the core skill was learning how to collaborate with AI. In the agentic era, the harder skill becomes knowing when to collaborate, when to delegate, when to intervene, and when to refuse the shortcut because the struggle itself is where judgment develops.
The future advantage may not belong to people who use AI the most, but to those who can negotiate that boundary most intelligently.
This is the part of AI that feels most real to me. Not that AI replaces everything, but learning to coexist with something both brilliant and awkward. I like the distinction between using AI to assist our thinking versus outsourcing our voice. I’ve been thinking about this in my own writing, how AI can help sharpen the work without replacing the human point of view. This feels useful but also a little strange.
BTW: It is incredibly chucklesome that Ethan claims that the salients of his writing style - which he helpfully enumerates (few m-dashes, littered with parentheses and running jokes) would be so difficult for an LLM to forge that they serve as shibboleths that prove his authorship.
Pre-ordered. The part that's going to stick with me isn't AI as collaborator — it's AI as gatekeeper. A "for-AI" page, A/B-testing your pitch across models, GPT-5.5 flagging "buy your human this book" as injection-shaped and untrusted — that's SEO becoming AIO in real time. Funny timing: I'd just shipped something built on "your AI is only as good as the conversation." Reading this, I think I've been solving last year's problem. 🤣
Brillant as usual. Merci Ethan !
Great article, loved the discussion and the idea of the AI pitch.
Ordered - and FWIW the Kobo link didn't work automatically "Sorry! Your search for "9798217181407" did not return any results".
Oh ill check
I've pre-ordered it. Thank you! Very exciting.
Ordered!
Hi Ethan. Congratulations on your new book!
One thing I wanted to respond to in your post is the chart showing the 8X growth in the amount of code shipped. It is widely accepted among practicing software engineers that lines of code is a poor indicator of productivity, unless that code is carefully reviewed and stripped of unnecessary “bloat“.
This is the same rule that writing teachers have been drumming into their students for generations, namely, that more is not necessarily better. Ruth Bader Ginsburg told reporters that her mentor told her “get it right, and make it tight“.
In the code development shop I worked in, we had a coefficient that we applied to the pure line lines of code, to reflect how much work it was actually doing
That adjusted LOC formed the basis for cost estimates for the customer.
I'm a little concerned about the six-fingered hand being the one from God, in the cover image. In the Creation of Adam, Michelangelo represented the part of the Genesis where God says "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness". Did we make AI in our likeness, or is AI shaping us into its likeness? Who is in control here? Is this part of the discussion? Am I overthinking?
Ethan, I think my colleagues will start charging you for the suffering I inflict on them when I enter these rabbit holes...
P.s: a super small note: the Amazon link to preorder goes to Amazon US. Maybe there could be links to other Amazon storefronts, to save a bit of extra friction for your non-US readers? Cheers from Australia
(our Amazon listing doesnt even have a cover photo for the paperback)
fgs, hit Amazon au!
And here we go - from SEO to AIO
Of course, the bots are best at at purely mercenary AIO work,
but I'll bet they quickly evolve some sort of reputation economy
to discount generic marketing bs. I hope so.
Sounds fascinating. I'm asking myself (and Claude) these questions constantly as I get my first book out the door!
Ethan, in vain of co-existence we created a new operating model that integrates Talent+AI as a mew work unit replacing headcount to optimize resources. This is done by replacing job data with services describing real work and customers who together agree to a value exchange.
Excited for the book (and pre-ordered it) but man, October 20th feels like a lifetime away!
Sad to hear about the em-dashes. This is not adapting to AI; it’s surrendering to it (jokes). Congrats on the new book!
Ethan, this is exactly the shift many organizations are still underestimating. The move from co-intelligence to co-existence is not just about better AI tools. It changes the leadership question.
In the chatbot era, the core skill was learning how to collaborate with AI. In the agentic era, the harder skill becomes knowing when to collaborate, when to delegate, when to intervene, and when to refuse the shortcut because the struggle itself is where judgment develops.
The future advantage may not belong to people who use AI the most, but to those who can negotiate that boundary most intelligently.
This is the part of AI that feels most real to me. Not that AI replaces everything, but learning to coexist with something both brilliant and awkward. I like the distinction between using AI to assist our thinking versus outsourcing our voice. I’ve been thinking about this in my own writing, how AI can help sharpen the work without replacing the human point of view. This feels useful but also a little strange.
FINALLY!!
BTW: It is incredibly chucklesome that Ethan claims that the salients of his writing style - which he helpfully enumerates (few m-dashes, littered with parentheses and running jokes) would be so difficult for an LLM to forge that they serve as shibboleths that prove his authorship.
Ethan, I just take you at your word.