Speed Up, but Protect the Thing Only You Can Do.

In a world of accelerating, AI-smoothed output, the irreplaceable becomes more valuable.

👋 Hi, I’m Jeff. I write weekly about lessons I’ve learned leading product teams and working to lead well in chaotic environments, drawing on 25+ years of building.

I’m now doing 1:1 coaching. Ping me if you know someone who’d benefit.

⏱ Read time: 3 minutes

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In recent reading and in conversations I’ve been having, I’m noticing two contrasting lines of thought on AI and the evolution of work. The tension between the two feels important.

First is a “speed up” wave of thought and action.

As teams evolve and workflows change with more usage of new AI tools, we’re in the early days of product development roles beginning to blend together. Rather than independent titles, each of these might eventually be called “creatives” or “builders” — and be far more T-shaped in how they work.

People may come from a specific discipline background but end up working more flexibly. Think of it like a jazz band. You know your instrument, but what you’re really doing is playing jazz: following, leading, and playing in different keys depending on what the song or the band needs. AI tools are accelerating this shift fast.

Most people I speak with are rightly pushing to quickly learn AI tools. I’m personally playing with Claude Code, Codex, and Replit in my day-to-day work. I’m often looking for genuine automation or acceleration for real work I am doing, or I’m experimenting to see what’s possible.

For me, playing at the forward edge (not bleeding edge) feels sufficient, even focused. Fully keeping up with every new change may be counterproductive given how fast AI is moving. I’m trying to walk a somewhat simpler, slower path. It’s working for now.

Even with a push to speed up learning, there’s a competing pull to slow down and make sure your work carries the soul of who you are — a differentiated person with something unique to offer. This is about being smart about what cognitive processes are okay to outsource while keeping your mental knives sharp.

You use a dishwasher on everyday dishes, but you always handwash kitchen knives. If you dishwash a chef’s knife, you dull the blade. Everybody needs to know what their “knife” is. If you fully outsource your work to AI you lose your mental edge — the deep thinking behind the work. It will be hard to get that back.

How each of us balances the push to speed up and slow down will determine how well we create, whether it’s a product, service, company, or art.

One clear example is writing. You can outsource research and tactical editing, but it’s worthwhile to have your true voice show up in the final version. That means continuing to struggle with editing cycles, working through revisions with humans, and protecting voice and tone. It’s about speeding up less critical commodity work, but slowing down to protect and sharpen what’s irreplaceable and comes alive most like you.

The winning hands as we evolve will come from those who work the right edges between speed and slowness. Most people will pick a side: speeding up or slowing down. But the winners will be the ones who do the harder thing and hold both.

What do you think?