Is AI actually making your build-measure-learn cycle faster, or just making your work more average?

In this episode, Rob Walling talks with Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup, to revisit what's held up in Lean Startup thinking 15 years on, why AI speeds up building but can't replace human learning, and what drove Eric to write his new book, Incorruptible. Eric also shares the story of how the Long-Term Stock Exchange nearly died before it ever launched, and why Costco is the rare example of a company that figured out how to stay incorruptible.

• (3:48) – Lean Startup: 15 years later
• (8:33) – How countercultural MVPs and pivots were
• (11:02) – How AI changes build-measure-learn
• (13:36) – Learning is still a human job
• (15:43) – AI makes everyone's work more average
• (17:39) – The Long-Term Stock Exchange story
• (21:03) – How LTSE was nearly destroyed
• (25:00) – A better definition of profit
• (31:45) – Companies already living this way
• (32:33) – The legend of Sol Price and Costco
• (37:36) – Incorruptible: ethos plus integrity

• TinySeed SaaS Institute
• The SaaS Playbook
• Incorruptible by Eric Ries
• The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
• Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE)
• Eric Ries | LinkedIn
• Eric Ries (@ericries) | X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

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What do Nobel Prize winners and successful bootstrappers have in common?

In this solo episode, Rob Walling shares the story of how a TinySeed company went from near-zero revenue to $10,000-$20,000 a month almost overnight, breaks down Claude Shannon's research on the habits that separated Nobel laureates from forgotten scientists, and explores why deep expertise looks like magic from the outside.

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Set a monthly cap, know exactly what you're spending, and close the deal.

Head to ysecurity.io/startups to book your free strategy call. Your first 8 hours are completely free.

• (2:46) – BlinkMetrics: from no product-market fit to $10-20K/month
• (8:31) – 104 coffee chats, 24 sales calls
• (10:25) – AI changes custom dashboard economics
• (12:53) – What separates Nobel winners from the forgotten
• (14:40) – Knowledge compounds like interest
• (18:28) – Taking bigger swings vs. staying in your comfort zone
• (19:36) – Going deep on one idea for years
• (21:21) – Expertise that looks like magic

• MicroConf Europe ┃Reykjavik, Iceland · Sept 21–23, 2026
• MicroConf Connect
• BlinkMetrics
• Claude Shannon Bell Labs lecture
• Why most indie hackers aren't succeeding┃Baretto (tiiny.com)
• Stephen Curry got that sixth sense when it comes to the rim
• The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling
• TinySeed SaaS Accelerator
• Rob Walling on YouTube
• Rob Walling (@robwalling)┃X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

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How do you leave a $400K salary to go all in on your business?

In this solo episode, Rob Walling cranks through a backlog of listener questions on reducing risk with your startup to go full-time, when to register as a business, how to price a SaaS with seat ambiguity, when to pivot, and how to keep building when you have four kids under eight.

Want to get your question answered? Drop it here.

Your AI-generated code got you to V1. Now it's holding you back.

Vibe coding is incredible for speed. But the codebase it leaves behind? Hidden security gaps, duct-tape architecture, features that break every time you ship. At a certain point you need professional engineering discipline, not more prompting.

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Schedule your Engineering Intensive at designli.co/fortherestofus.

Podcast listeners can also redeem a free Designli Impact Week.

• (2:15) – Leaving a $400K salary to go full-time
• (7:43) – When to officially register your business
• (10:51) – Seat-based pricing with shared branding
• (12:40) – When to get a design audit
• (15:05) – How to calculate TAM for a Shopify app
• (18:29) – Can a step one app break free of its marketplace?
• (20:22) – How to know when it's time to pivot
• (22:31) – Building a startup with four young kids
• (25:30) – How to find ICP conversations without a network

• MicroConf Connect Join by May 20th to attend a Live AMA with Rob Walling
• The SaaS Playbook
• Start Small, Stay Small
• Reddit Thread: $30K to $440K in 7 Years (AMA)
• Stripe Atlas
• I Grew This SaaS by 13% Every Month for 13 Months
• Episode 589 | Finding a SaaS Idea Through 70 Cold Calls
• Rob Walling (@robwalling) | X

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

Subscribe & Review: iTunes | Spotify