Then the lesson: looked right. System was wrong.
What broke + how I fixed it: michaelluchen.com/2026/01/27/b...
@mluchen
Director of Product / Head of Product & Fractional CPO. Ex-Float Director of Product (G2 #1, 50+ products). B2B SaaS & AI-native systems that ship, teams that thrive. US/EU remote from Athens π¬π·πΊπΈ. Product leadership, tech, and photography.
Then the lesson: looked right. System was wrong.
What broke + how I fixed it: michaelluchen.com/2026/01/27/b...
200+ scans after a move. Names like βScan Jul 17, 2025β¦β
Built Sorty instead of having OCRβd finance/immigration/health docs processed off-device. Local-first (Vision/OCR + Apple Intelligence local models), with review + Preview.
That lines up with what Iβve seen in SaaS: the scary part isnβt the model, itβs rewiring the org.
If youβre doing that rewiring right now, Iβd love to hear whatβs actually working vs what looked good on a slide.
- Models are good enough; changing habits and incentives is not.
- Real AI impact will hide in existing tools (mail, docs, planning, finance, support).
- If your data is a mess, your AI roadmap is a wish list.
- Serious leaders care less about βAI featuresβ and more about how work itself changes.
Most useful quote from a GenAI summit yesterday:
βThe tech is the easy part.β
Themes that kept popping up:
The reasoning stands out most. Gemini handled the architecture, while Antigravity automated the browser-based testing/verification that usually burns an afternoon.
#productengineering #ai #gemini #productmanagement
Building with Gemini 3 Pro + Google Antigravity feels like the ChatGPT moment for agentic dev.
I built this network-based atomic notes app concept in just over an hour. The barrier between "idea" and "shipped" is dissolving fast.
Updated my personal readme β the βuser manualβ I share with new teams on how I work, what I value, and what to expect in 1:1s.
If youβre curious (or thinking of writing your own), itβs here:
I've been enjoying (and recommend) the new Reeder app to follow a few specific accounts I want to stay on top of without getting sucked into an infinite scroll.
Just sub'd to Croissant app for cross-posting with the other socials as well! π₯
Fun to return as a guest on The Product Manager pod back in July. Reflected w/ Hannah Clark on the massive shifts in product since '22 (systems > dogma, practical AI, etc.) & lessons from the trenches.
Listen here: cpoclub.com/podcast/how-...
#product #ai #leadership
While I'm exploring, I'm available for the right fit:
- Senior Product Leadership roles (Director+)
- 1-2 selective advisory/consulting gigs
(I'm also mentoring student-led startups at ACS Athens Open).
I wrote more about this new chapter on my blog:
Big life update: We've moved to Athens π¬π·. I'm time-boxing a relocation sabbatical (thru Mar 2026) to focus on a strong conviction: AI is fundamentally breaking all our old product playbooks.
The 6-week "prototype-to-test" cycle is dead. I'm digging into what's next. #product #ai