Jurgen Appelo
@jurgenappelo.bsky.social
Redesigning the future of work—no hype, no hierarchies, no hegemonies. Aiming for open systems, responsible autonomy, and decentralized power.
https://substack.jurgenappelo.com/
https://substack.jurgenappelo.com/
If you're using AI and still feel like you're doing a lot of work: you are.
Setting parameters. Guiding outputs. Reviewing quality. Processing feedback.
That's the job now. Human-in-the-loop isn't overhead. It's the craft.
Setting parameters. Guiding outputs. Reviewing quality. Processing feedback.
That's the job now. Human-in-the-loop isn't overhead. It's the craft.
The Myth of 100% AI-Generated Content
Why Humans Are Still in the Loop in the Age of AI and the Future of Work
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:30 PM
If you're using AI and still feel like you're doing a lot of work: you are.
Setting parameters. Guiding outputs. Reviewing quality. Processing feedback.
That's the job now. Human-in-the-loop isn't overhead. It's the craft.
Setting parameters. Guiding outputs. Reviewing quality. Processing feedback.
That's the job now. Human-in-the-loop isn't overhead. It's the craft.
"Orchestration is a strategic position in the Agentic AI era, one that enables you to capture user intent and turn it into a business outcome by commanding these systems."
Decoding Anthropic’s $380 Billion Valuation: Orchestration over Raw Intelligence in Enterprise AI
How AI Labs are pivoting from models to platforms, and what It means for the Enterprise AI race.
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:01 PM
"Orchestration is a strategic position in the Agentic AI era, one that enables you to capture user intent and turn it into a business outcome by commanding these systems."
"The future will not be determined solely by how intelligent our machines become, but by whether we choose to remain intellectually alive alongside them."
Something Bigger Than AI is Happening
Pay attention and read every single word please.
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:45 PM
"The future will not be determined solely by how intelligent our machines become, but by whether we choose to remain intellectually alive alongside them."
Every King's Day in the Netherlands, thousands of kids sell cookies on the streets. They figure out pricing, inventory, theft prevention, bathroom breaks, haggling. No training. I don't expect AI to do this anytime soon.
AGI—Complex, Not Complicated
True Agentic AI? When? I haven’t seen a single AI benchmark that steps into this messy, wicked, unpredictable arena.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 17, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Every King's Day in the Netherlands, thousands of kids sell cookies on the streets. They figure out pricing, inventory, theft prevention, bathroom breaks, haggling. No training. I don't expect AI to do this anytime soon.
AI enthusiasts want to automate all 'mindless' work so humans do only creativity and genius stuff. Research shows our brains need cognitive cycling. We can't sustain demanding thought indefinitely. Sometimes boring is the medicine.
Don’t Take Away My Stupid Tasks!
No one can do meaningful, intellectually demanding work every waking second. Sometimes, our brain cells demand boredom. In the age of AI, we need to cleanse our minds.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:30 AM
AI enthusiasts want to automate all 'mindless' work so humans do only creativity and genius stuff. Research shows our brains need cognitive cycling. We can't sustain demanding thought indefinitely. Sometimes boring is the medicine.
"xAI is going to crash in the only sense that matters in Silicon Valley: it is going to fail to remain a top-tier independent frontier lab competing for the center of gravity of AI."
xAI is Collapsing and Elon Musk is Crashing Out
Why Musk’s AI Bet Is Unraveling in Real Time
open.substack.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:01 AM
"xAI is going to crash in the only sense that matters in Silicon Valley: it is going to fail to remain a top-tier independent frontier lab competing for the center of gravity of AI."
Impact beats both output and outcome.
In the age of AI, you can achieve ten times the impact with one-tenth of the people.
The 'move fast' vs 'deliver value' debate? It misses the point entirely.
In the age of AI, you can achieve ten times the impact with one-tenth of the people.
The 'move fast' vs 'deliver value' debate? It misses the point entirely.
Ten Times the Impact with One-Tenth the People
AI is letting startups build faster with smaller teams. But is speed or value more important?
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Impact beats both output and outcome.
In the age of AI, you can achieve ten times the impact with one-tenth of the people.
The 'move fast' vs 'deliver value' debate? It misses the point entirely.
In the age of AI, you can achieve ten times the impact with one-tenth of the people.
The 'move fast' vs 'deliver value' debate? It misses the point entirely.
"The side hustle is a logical response to a system that no longer insures workers against market volatility, even when those workers do everything right."
How Your Side Hustles Will Save You
Creating a Durable Career That Transcends the Corporate Ladder
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:15 PM
"The side hustle is a logical response to a system that no longer insures workers against market volatility, even when those workers do everything right."
"The people and organizations that learn to decompose their work into tasks—identify which ones AI handles well, build review processes around the rest—will compound advantages that will get harder and harder to catch up to."
Coding Is Solved. What's Next?
What a million AI conversations reveal about the future of work
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:02 PM
"The people and organizations that learn to decompose their work into tasks—identify which ones AI handles well, build review processes around the rest—will compound advantages that will get harder and harder to catch up to."
"Refuse to build AI applications that are turning workarounds into long-term solutions."
The Uncomfortable Truth About AI Transformation
Why AI strategy must start with dismantling, not optimizing"
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:01 PM
"Refuse to build AI applications that are turning workarounds into long-term solutions."
"If you bill by the hour, this is the data showing why that model just became obsolete."
Every Hourly Billing Flaw Explained in Detail (And Why It Can’t Survive AI)
The Thomson Reuters 2026 legal market report, broken down for anyone who sells time — lawyers, consultants, accountants, advisors
open.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:45 PM
"If you bill by the hour, this is the data showing why that model just became obsolete."
We built AI to eliminate repetitive, meaningless tasks. Instead, we've created the engine for infinite bureaucratic expansion. Peak bullshit, delivered at zero marginal cost.
Escape Velocity—How AI Will Achieve Peak Bullshit Work
AI removes the human bottlenecks that once kept meaningless bureaucracy in check. Prepare for a future of work where AI management is all bullshit.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:31 PM
We built AI to eliminate repetitive, meaningless tasks. Instead, we've created the engine for infinite bureaucratic expansion. Peak bullshit, delivered at zero marginal cost.
That feeling when every tool you don't evaluate feels like a risk you didn't manage? The real risk is drowning in options while your actual work sits undone.
Stop Chasing AI Tools
Technostress and FOBO: The Nervous System Problem Behind AI Tool Overload
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:31 AM
That feeling when every tool you don't evaluate feels like a risk you didn't manage? The real risk is drowning in options while your actual work sits undone.
The curse of radical centrism: every extremist thinks you're sleeping with the enemy. Acceleration bros call me a dream-crusher. Pessimists brand me a Silicon Valley cheerleader. Getting punched from both directions doubles the entertainment.
Finding Purpose in the Chaos
Why embracing uncertainty—and wandering aimlessly for a while—might be exactly what your business needs.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The curse of radical centrism: every extremist thinks you're sleeping with the enemy. Acceleration bros call me a dream-crusher. Pessimists brand me a Silicon Valley cheerleader. Getting punched from both directions doubles the entertainment.
AI agents can't help you build better relationships when your data is scattered across 20 SaaS tools.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Clean your data first. Everything else comes second.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Clean your data first. Everything else comes second.
Clean Up Your Data
I use Fibery to consolidate what I know about my readers, customers, and investors
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:30 PM
AI agents can't help you build better relationships when your data is scattered across 20 SaaS tools.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Clean your data first. Everything else comes second.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Clean your data first. Everything else comes second.
We're heading somewhere strange: machines optimizing queues, routing work, enabling better experiences. Then simply handing us instructions. 'Bring this item to that place.'
Kanban Must Evolve in the Age of AI
Why Linear Workflow Boards Fail in an AI-Driven, Nonlinear World
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:30 AM
We're heading somewhere strange: machines optimizing queues, routing work, enabling better experiences. Then simply handing us instructions. 'Bring this item to that place.'
"Leaders, therefore, do not simply broadcast intent; they refine it with their teams through dialogue, backbriefs, scenario exploration, and continuous adjustment, so that intent becomes the context within which decisions are made, not just an explanation of what should happen."
TBM 406: Seeing Everything, Understanding Nothing (The Context Trap)
AI is supercharging legacy leadership assumptions about context and control.
open.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM
"Leaders, therefore, do not simply broadcast intent; they refine it with their teams through dialogue, backbriefs, scenario exploration, and continuous adjustment, so that intent becomes the context within which decisions are made, not just an explanation of what should happen."
Moats don't just protect. They compound. Every Bloomberg terminal deepens their data edge. Every Airbnb stay strengthens their network. The best moats grow deeper with use.
The Four Moats Theory™
Who needs Deloitte, McKinsey, and Accenture, when you have agentic AI?
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Moats don't just protect. They compound. Every Bloomberg terminal deepens their data edge. Every Airbnb stay strengthens their network. The best moats grow deeper with use.
If da Vinci had ChatGPT, would he have used it? I think yes. The man was obsessed with tools, techniques, and efficiency. He'd outsource tedious work to focus on vision. Why do modern creatives think they're above that?
Dear Creatives, Stop Whining. Embrace the AI Revolution.
In the age of AI, it’s okay to collaborate with AI assistants in your creative process.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:30 PM
If da Vinci had ChatGPT, would he have used it? I think yes. The man was obsessed with tools, techniques, and efficiency. He'd outsource tedious work to focus on vision. Why do modern creatives think they're above that?
AI promises prediction but creates entirely new uncertainties. The cruel irony is that tools deployed to navigate uncertainty may be eroding our ability to adapt to genuine surprises. We're becoming dangerously brittle.
22 AI Ethics Challenges in a Future of Work with AI
The Critical Questions AI Leadership Must Face as AI Reshapes Work, Power, and Purpose. There's a Lot to Do for the Networked Organizations of the Future.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:30 AM
AI promises prediction but creates entirely new uncertainties. The cruel irony is that tools deployed to navigate uncertainty may be eroding our ability to adapt to genuine surprises. We're becoming dangerously brittle.
"Behind every ‘intelligent’ system is a human being doing invisible, often brutal work. Content moderation. Data labelling. Quality assurance. The technology industry calls it ‘human-in-the-loop.’ A more honest phrase would be ‘human under the floor.’"
What Is Critical AI Literacy?
Learning what you lose every time you hand your thinking to a machine.
open.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:01 AM
"Behind every ‘intelligent’ system is a human being doing invisible, often brutal work. Content moderation. Data labelling. Quality assurance. The technology industry calls it ‘human-in-the-loop.’ A more honest phrase would be ‘human under the floor.’"
Before you automate everything: keep one stupid task for yourself. Schedule 30 minutes of brainless work daily. Your mind needs the wandering time. You're not wasting time. You're giving your brain what it needs.
Don’t Take Away My Stupid Tasks!
No one can do meaningful, intellectually demanding work every waking second. Sometimes, our brain cells demand boredom. In the age of AI, we need to cleanse our minds.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Before you automate everything: keep one stupid task for yourself. Schedule 30 minutes of brainless work daily. Your mind needs the wandering time. You're not wasting time. You're giving your brain what it needs.
"The vitriol toward AI is more pronounced than any anti-tech sentiment I’ve seen in my lifetime.
I’m not sure Silicon Valley is really grasping the extent of the AI backlash. People are being left behind, and that’s the biggest barrier between capability and adoption."
I’m not sure Silicon Valley is really grasping the extent of the AI backlash. People are being left behind, and that’s the biggest barrier between capability and adoption."
5,127 Layers
The Gap Between Capability and Adoption
open.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:15 PM
"The vitriol toward AI is more pronounced than any anti-tech sentiment I’ve seen in my lifetime.
I’m not sure Silicon Valley is really grasping the extent of the AI backlash. People are being left behind, and that’s the biggest barrier between capability and adoption."
I’m not sure Silicon Valley is really grasping the extent of the AI backlash. People are being left behind, and that’s the biggest barrier between capability and adoption."
"If the whole thing collapses, as many people fear, the careless repetition of hype by editors who love the “everything is about to change” narrative (always good for clicks) may well turn out to have been an important contributing factor."
Promises are cheap
Nope.
open.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:45 PM
"If the whole thing collapses, as many people fear, the careless repetition of hype by editors who love the “everything is about to change” narrative (always good for clicks) may well turn out to have been an important contributing factor."
Framework for cutting through AGI hype: Is the problem static or does it evolve? Does it have an optimum solution? Static with clear solutions = complicated, not complex. AI crushes complicated. Struggles with complex.
AGI—Complex, Not Complicated
True Agentic AI? When? I haven’t seen a single AI benchmark that steps into this messy, wicked, unpredictable arena.
substack.jurgenappelo.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Framework for cutting through AGI hype: Is the problem static or does it evolve? Does it have an optimum solution? Static with clear solutions = complicated, not complex. AI crushes complicated. Struggles with complex.