Bookmark: Frustrated with today’s ‘attention economy’? You’re really going to hate what comes next
The concept of the “intention economy” refers to a digital market where companies prioritize predicting and monetizing individuals’ future behaviors and decisions rather than simply capturing their current attention. This emerging economic model is driven largely by advancements in AI, particularly through the deployment of AI chatbots and large language models (LLMs). These technologies gather and analyze user data to discern patterns, motivations, and potential actions, which are then commodified. The “attention economy,” by contrast, focuses on captivating consumer attention to sell ad space or products. The concern with the intention economy is its profound privacy implications, as it shifts control over personal data and foresight to corporate entities. Protection against such encroachments involves vigilant safeguarding of personal data, critically assessing consent terms, and fostering greater regulatory oversight to ensure ethical data use practices. Additionally, individuals need to be conscious of their engagements with AI tools and platforms, recognizing that even seemingly benign interactions may contribute to this predictive commodification.
Featured writing
Why customer tools are organized wrong
This article reveals a fundamental flaw in how customer support tools are designed—organizing by interaction type instead of by customer—and explains why this fragmentation wastes time and obscures the full picture you need to help users effectively.
Infrastructure shapes thought
The tools you build determine what kinds of thinking become possible. On infrastructure, friction, and building deliberately for thought rather than just throughput.
Server-Side Dashboard Architecture: Why Moving Data Fetching Off the Browser Changes Everything
How choosing server-side rendering solved security, CORS, and credential management problems I didn't know I had.
Books
The Work of Being (in progress)
A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.
The Practice of Work (in progress)
Practical essays on how work actually gets done.
Recent writing
We always panic about new tools (and we're always wrong)
Every time a new tool emerges for making or manipulating symbols, we panic. The pattern is so consistent it's almost embarrassing. Here's what happened each time.
Dev reflection - February 03, 2026
I've been thinking about constraints today. Not the kind that block you—the kind that clarify. There's a difference, and most people miss it.
When execution becomes cheap, ideas become expensive
This article reveals a fundamental shift in how organizations operate: as AI makes execution nearly instantaneous, the bottleneck has moved from implementation to decision-making. Understanding this transition is critical for anyone leading teams or making strategic choices in an AI-enabled world.
Notes and related thinking
AI didn't deskill us, we were already deskilled
This article challenges the narrative that AI is deskilling workers, instead highlighting how many jobs were already mechanical. It offers a thought-provoking perspective on how AI could be an opportunity to reclaim and enhance human skills.
Redefining Leadership: Embracing Human Judgment Amid AI Disruption
This article offers a critical perspective on how AI is reshaping the job market and challenges leaders to focus on uniquely human skills like judgment and responsibility, providing valuable insights for anyone interested in the future of work and leadership.
AI Slop: The Hidden Cost of Poor Integration
This article challenges the notion that job crafting is the key to successful AI integration, offering a fresh perspective on the importance of a clear strategy to prevent chaos and enhance organizational efficiency.