Insights
Field notes from the build
What we learn shipping software, AI and automation for real businesses - written by the partners who did the work. No ghostwriters, no thought-leadership filler.
Engineering · Oct 2026Self-hosted vs SaaS: why we own our development tools - and what we still rentWhy an engineering firm moves its tools off SaaS: data ownership, predictable cost, AI next to its own data - and the systems that should stay rented.6 min readEngineering · Oct 2026Rust in 2026: why big tech is rewriting C++ - and when you shouldI bet on Rust seven years ago. What the Microsoft, Cloudflare, Meta and GitHub migrations teach, how AI changed rewrite costs, and how to decide for your system.10 min readStrategy · Oct 2026How to change your software development partner without losing the projectWhen to switch software vendors, what to secure before you tell them, and a staged handover plan that keeps the system running.8 min readStrategy · Jul 2026How to choose a software development partnerEight questions to ask, the red flags to walk away from and the signals that predict outcomes - a checklist from a team that rescues failed software projects.11 min readEngineering · Jul 2026Legacy modernisation without the big rewriteBig rewrites of load-bearing systems fail in predictable ways. How the strangler-fig pattern replaces them one module at a time - and when a rewrite is right.10 min readStrategy · Jul 2026Why fixed-price software fails - and how milestone billing fixes itFixed bids force padding or change-order farming; hourly runs the meter with no one paid to finish. How milestone billing realigns the incentives on both sides.8 min readAI · Jul 2026Owning your AI infrastructure: when to leave metered APIsCloud AI APIs are the right first choice - and the wrong permanent one for some workloads. The three pressures that force the move, the honest counter-case, and a benchmark-gated migration pattern.7 min readAI · Jul 2026Intent-driven development: when writing code becomes optionalAs agents regenerate code on demand, the durable artifact shifts from the code to the intent behind it - specs, invariants, tests and evals. What that changes, and where hand-written code still wins.9 min readAI · Jul 2026Spec-driven development: writing contracts for AI agentsWhen agents write a growing share of the code, the spec becomes the primary engineering artifact. What turns a spec into a contract - and the workflow that keeps agent output inside it.10 min readStrategy · Jun 2026Build vs. buy is the wrong question. Ask what compounds.SaaS you rent depreciates the day you sign. Software you own can compound like the rest of your balance sheet - if you build only the right things.9 min readAI · May 2026Why most enterprise AI pilots die - and the three that didn'tThe pattern behind failed pilots is always the same: no metric, no evaluation set, no owner. Here's what the survivors did differently.12 min readPartnership · Apr 2026Software for equity: how we price risk we're willing to ownThe mechanics of our equity deals - how the estimate becomes a valuation input, and why the hybrid structure usually wins.8 min readAutomation · Mar 2026The spreadsheet layer: finding the six figures hiding in your opsEvery company runs on a hidden layer of spreadsheets and re-keying. How to price it in hours and salary - and when to automate it.7 min readEngineering · Feb 2026Boring technology is a luxury goodWhy proven stacks are the premium choice - and why your novelty budget belongs in the product, not the infrastructure.6 min readSecurity · Aug 2026Security is a feature, not a ticketAudit findings are not a security strategy. What it looks like to design security in - with an owner, a threat model and controls that are measured, not just checked.8 min read
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