Jun 11, 2026
Levels is running four products and ~3M in revenue, solo. This used to be the exception. It's becoming the norm.
Marc Lou ships a new product every few weeks because there's nothing between him and the work.
The middle of every company exists because context and coordination are (were?) expensive as it relied on people. Someone had to carry what you're building from one head to another and keep a number specialists pointed at the same problem.
AI makes both cheaper.
A CPO or founder at the top sets intent. AI can carry intent but can't invent it.
At the bottom, ICs own the problem and solution end-to-end, including metrics. They query the context directly. What the company's trying to do, where the numbers are, what the competition shipped last week. What used to require a manager now just needs a good question.
Levels already knows this. Marc Lou too.
The IC era will create more leverage for the best people. And far less shelter for everyone else.
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I'm a father of 3 from Sydney, a Product Director and a Product Coach. I write about leadership, product management and the messy reality of making work work.
I'm currently building and experimenting with a mildly alarming number of things.
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