Matt Watson
@mattwatsonkc.bsky.social
Founder/CTO for 20 years, Bootstrapped a SaaS company to a 9 figure exit, CEO of Full Scale, Teaching People to Scale Engineering teams
SaaS is dead.
Why would I pay $49 a month for some SaaS product when I can just build it myself?
For $200 a month, I can buy Claude Code and ship exactly what I need.
👀👀👀
Why would I pay $49 a month for some SaaS product when I can just build it myself?
For $200 a month, I can buy Claude Code and ship exactly what I need.
👀👀👀
December 16, 2025 at 4:16 PM
SaaS is dead.
Why would I pay $49 a month for some SaaS product when I can just build it myself?
For $200 a month, I can buy Claude Code and ship exactly what I need.
👀👀👀
Why would I pay $49 a month for some SaaS product when I can just build it myself?
For $200 a month, I can buy Claude Code and ship exactly what I need.
👀👀👀
The world rewards audacity, not potential.
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
The world rewards audacity, not potential.
People hate to be sold.
People love to go shopping with friends.
I'll never forget that.
Sales is all about creating relationships.
People love to go shopping with friends.
I'll never forget that.
Sales is all about creating relationships.
December 11, 2025 at 7:26 PM
People hate to be sold.
People love to go shopping with friends.
I'll never forget that.
Sales is all about creating relationships.
People love to go shopping with friends.
I'll never forget that.
Sales is all about creating relationships.
I don't understand why anyone would work 9-9-6.
Why not start at 7am?
And then if you make it 7 days a week, it becomes...
7-7-7
All that hard work would be good luck!!!
Forget 9-9-6 and go with 7-7-7 to be a guaranteed winner. 🎰
Why not start at 7am?
And then if you make it 7 days a week, it becomes...
7-7-7
All that hard work would be good luck!!!
Forget 9-9-6 and go with 7-7-7 to be a guaranteed winner. 🎰
December 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I don't understand why anyone would work 9-9-6.
Why not start at 7am?
And then if you make it 7 days a week, it becomes...
7-7-7
All that hard work would be good luck!!!
Forget 9-9-6 and go with 7-7-7 to be a guaranteed winner. 🎰
Why not start at 7am?
And then if you make it 7 days a week, it becomes...
7-7-7
All that hard work would be good luck!!!
Forget 9-9-6 and go with 7-7-7 to be a guaranteed winner. 🎰
Software engineer + ADHD = 24/7 coder.
We are always chasing the dopamine from the creativity of solving problems and writing code.
We are always chasing the dopamine from the creativity of solving problems and writing code.
December 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Software engineer + ADHD = 24/7 coder.
We are always chasing the dopamine from the creativity of solving problems and writing code.
We are always chasing the dopamine from the creativity of solving problems and writing code.
Most developer “holiday gifts” are the same every year.
Hoodies. Desk gadgets. A water bottle nobody asked for.
A team lunch where everyone pretends the roadmap isn’t on fire.
So I made a different kind of gift guide this year.
Here’s the full guide. 👉 buff.ly/WyC8Vs9
Hoodies. Desk gadgets. A water bottle nobody asked for.
A team lunch where everyone pretends the roadmap isn’t on fire.
So I made a different kind of gift guide this year.
Here’s the full guide. 👉 buff.ly/WyC8Vs9
December 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Most developer “holiday gifts” are the same every year.
Hoodies. Desk gadgets. A water bottle nobody asked for.
A team lunch where everyone pretends the roadmap isn’t on fire.
So I made a different kind of gift guide this year.
Here’s the full guide. 👉 buff.ly/WyC8Vs9
Hoodies. Desk gadgets. A water bottle nobody asked for.
A team lunch where everyone pretends the roadmap isn’t on fire.
So I made a different kind of gift guide this year.
Here’s the full guide. 👉 buff.ly/WyC8Vs9
After the kids go to bed, it's time to code and chill, not Netflix and chill.
December 8, 2025 at 3:23 PM
After the kids go to bed, it's time to code and chill, not Netflix and chill.
Using Claude Code to build software that uses OpenAI is kind of ironic.
Is everyone else doing this too?
Is everyone else doing this too?
December 7, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Using Claude Code to build software that uses OpenAI is kind of ironic.
Is everyone else doing this too?
Is everyone else doing this too?
There is only one kind of person who believes Vibe Coding is the future.
It’s the person who hasn’t built an app yet with 10,000 lines of code... and now has to figure out WTF the code actually does.
It’s the person who hasn’t built an app yet with 10,000 lines of code... and now has to figure out WTF the code actually does.
December 4, 2025 at 3:06 PM
There is only one kind of person who believes Vibe Coding is the future.
It’s the person who hasn’t built an app yet with 10,000 lines of code... and now has to figure out WTF the code actually does.
It’s the person who hasn’t built an app yet with 10,000 lines of code... and now has to figure out WTF the code actually does.
AI needs a StackOverflow mode where it also ridicules your every prompt.
December 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
AI needs a StackOverflow mode where it also ridicules your every prompt.
You might be at the phase where you’re telling yourself you’ll “start fresh” in January…
But if you use December like a four-week sprint not for product, but for readiness, you could enter January already sprinting, while everyone else is still onboarding.
Here’s how
buff.ly/ITwzR2w
But if you use December like a four-week sprint not for product, but for readiness, you could enter January already sprinting, while everyone else is still onboarding.
Here’s how
buff.ly/ITwzR2w
December 2, 2025 at 4:16 PM
You might be at the phase where you’re telling yourself you’ll “start fresh” in January…
But if you use December like a four-week sprint not for product, but for readiness, you could enter January already sprinting, while everyone else is still onboarding.
Here’s how
buff.ly/ITwzR2w
But if you use December like a four-week sprint not for product, but for readiness, you could enter January already sprinting, while everyone else is still onboarding.
Here’s how
buff.ly/ITwzR2w
2015: Copying code from StackOverflow
2025: Vibe coding with AI
Different decade. Same problem.
The real question isn’t where the code came from.
It’s whether they can explain what it does.
A real software engineer can.
A basic coder can’t.
2025: Vibe coding with AI
Different decade. Same problem.
The real question isn’t where the code came from.
It’s whether they can explain what it does.
A real software engineer can.
A basic coder can’t.
November 30, 2025 at 4:20 PM
2015: Copying code from StackOverflow
2025: Vibe coding with AI
Different decade. Same problem.
The real question isn’t where the code came from.
It’s whether they can explain what it does.
A real software engineer can.
A basic coder can’t.
2025: Vibe coding with AI
Different decade. Same problem.
The real question isn’t where the code came from.
It’s whether they can explain what it does.
A real software engineer can.
A basic coder can’t.
ABC used to stand for "Always be closing." I called it "Always be coding."
Now it should be ABCC "Always be Claude coding."
Now it should be ABCC "Always be Claude coding."
November 21, 2025 at 3:21 PM
ABC used to stand for "Always be closing." I called it "Always be coding."
Now it should be ABCC "Always be Claude coding."
Now it should be ABCC "Always be Claude coding."
We went from how many days is that going to take to how many prompts is that going to take.
It is a wild time to be a software engineer!
It is a wild time to be a software engineer!
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
We went from how many days is that going to take to how many prompts is that going to take.
It is a wild time to be a software engineer!
It is a wild time to be a software engineer!
The biggest threat to your well-being isn’t AI.
It’s carpal tunnel.
Vibe coding might actually save your career. 😂
It’s carpal tunnel.
Vibe coding might actually save your career. 😂
November 20, 2025 at 3:06 PM
The biggest threat to your well-being isn’t AI.
It’s carpal tunnel.
Vibe coding might actually save your career. 😂
It’s carpal tunnel.
Vibe coding might actually save your career. 😂
Being a startup founder and CEO sounds glamorous.
It is mostly sending emails, Slack messages, Zoom calls and LinkedIn all day.
Most days I'd rather be building something with my hands.
It is mostly sending emails, Slack messages, Zoom calls and LinkedIn all day.
Most days I'd rather be building something with my hands.
November 19, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Being a startup founder and CEO sounds glamorous.
It is mostly sending emails, Slack messages, Zoom calls and LinkedIn all day.
Most days I'd rather be building something with my hands.
It is mostly sending emails, Slack messages, Zoom calls and LinkedIn all day.
Most days I'd rather be building something with my hands.
“Hey—what should I work on next?”
That’s not a developer problem.
That’s a system problem.
When priorities shift and specs are light, even great developers stall.
At Full Scale, we hire engineers who don’t freeze in ambiguity—they move through it.
Here’s how: buff.ly/soi8XDx
That’s not a developer problem.
That’s a system problem.
When priorities shift and specs are light, even great developers stall.
At Full Scale, we hire engineers who don’t freeze in ambiguity—they move through it.
Here’s how: buff.ly/soi8XDx
November 18, 2025 at 4:16 PM
“Hey—what should I work on next?”
That’s not a developer problem.
That’s a system problem.
When priorities shift and specs are light, even great developers stall.
At Full Scale, we hire engineers who don’t freeze in ambiguity—they move through it.
Here’s how: buff.ly/soi8XDx
That’s not a developer problem.
That’s a system problem.
When priorities shift and specs are light, even great developers stall.
At Full Scale, we hire engineers who don’t freeze in ambiguity—they move through it.
Here’s how: buff.ly/soi8XDx
You’re not a micromanager.
You’re just filling the gaps.
So you jump in on a code review to speed things up.
You rewrite vague tickets.
You fix blockers yourself.
You jump into every code review “just to help.”
It feels productive. But it’s building dependency.
You’re just filling the gaps.
So you jump in on a code review to speed things up.
You rewrite vague tickets.
You fix blockers yourself.
You jump into every code review “just to help.”
It feels productive. But it’s building dependency.
November 17, 2025 at 3:23 PM
You’re not a micromanager.
You’re just filling the gaps.
So you jump in on a code review to speed things up.
You rewrite vague tickets.
You fix blockers yourself.
You jump into every code review “just to help.”
It feels productive. But it’s building dependency.
You’re just filling the gaps.
So you jump in on a code review to speed things up.
You rewrite vague tickets.
You fix blockers yourself.
You jump into every code review “just to help.”
It feels productive. But it’s building dependency.
It’s now called “bad vibes coding.”
Why?
Non-technical people keep vibe coding features and handing them to engineers to “figure out.”
It's the stuff of horrors for most software engineers.
Don’t be surprised when your engineers don’t like your vibe.
Why?
Non-technical people keep vibe coding features and handing them to engineers to “figure out.”
It's the stuff of horrors for most software engineers.
Don’t be surprised when your engineers don’t like your vibe.
November 16, 2025 at 4:20 PM
It’s now called “bad vibes coding.”
Why?
Non-technical people keep vibe coding features and handing them to engineers to “figure out.”
It's the stuff of horrors for most software engineers.
Don’t be surprised when your engineers don’t like your vibe.
Why?
Non-technical people keep vibe coding features and handing them to engineers to “figure out.”
It's the stuff of horrors for most software engineers.
Don’t be surprised when your engineers don’t like your vibe.
Most offshore teams fail because they’re built like vendors, not teammates.
When devs are embedded in your workflow, not managed from the outside, they perform like locals.
I break it down in my new piece.
👉 Read it here: buff.ly/9o2Ve7F
When devs are embedded in your workflow, not managed from the outside, they perform like locals.
I break it down in my new piece.
👉 Read it here: buff.ly/9o2Ve7F
November 11, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Most offshore teams fail because they’re built like vendors, not teammates.
When devs are embedded in your workflow, not managed from the outside, they perform like locals.
I break it down in my new piece.
👉 Read it here: buff.ly/9o2Ve7F
When devs are embedded in your workflow, not managed from the outside, they perform like locals.
I break it down in my new piece.
👉 Read it here: buff.ly/9o2Ve7F
If your rituals only work when everyone is in the same room, they aren’t culture.
They’re convenient.
If you want your global developers to act like owners, start by treating them like part of the same story.
They’re convenient.
If you want your global developers to act like owners, start by treating them like part of the same story.
November 9, 2025 at 4:20 PM
If your rituals only work when everyone is in the same room, they aren’t culture.
They’re convenient.
If you want your global developers to act like owners, start by treating them like part of the same story.
They’re convenient.
If you want your global developers to act like owners, start by treating them like part of the same story.
Slack explodes.
Standups fly by.
Decisions happen mid-sprint.
Then the team starts building.
Half on memory, half on guesses.
Nobody knows what “done” means.
If no one owns the translation,
speed turns into swirl.
Standups fly by.
Decisions happen mid-sprint.
Then the team starts building.
Half on memory, half on guesses.
Nobody knows what “done” means.
If no one owns the translation,
speed turns into swirl.
November 8, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Slack explodes.
Standups fly by.
Decisions happen mid-sprint.
Then the team starts building.
Half on memory, half on guesses.
Nobody knows what “done” means.
If no one owns the translation,
speed turns into swirl.
Standups fly by.
Decisions happen mid-sprint.
Then the team starts building.
Half on memory, half on guesses.
Nobody knows what “done” means.
If no one owns the translation,
speed turns into swirl.
AI can teach you how to fill a propane tank.
It won’t give you the experience to not smoke while doing it.
Knowing how to do something isn’t the same as knowing what not to do.
Experience still matters. Judgment still matters.
AI can teach the steps.
It can’t teach the scars.
It won’t give you the experience to not smoke while doing it.
Knowing how to do something isn’t the same as knowing what not to do.
Experience still matters. Judgment still matters.
AI can teach the steps.
It can’t teach the scars.
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
AI can teach you how to fill a propane tank.
It won’t give you the experience to not smoke while doing it.
Knowing how to do something isn’t the same as knowing what not to do.
Experience still matters. Judgment still matters.
AI can teach the steps.
It can’t teach the scars.
It won’t give you the experience to not smoke while doing it.
Knowing how to do something isn’t the same as knowing what not to do.
Experience still matters. Judgment still matters.
AI can teach the steps.
It can’t teach the scars.
If you treat developers like interchangeable resources, you’ll always be stuck in onboarding mode.
When you treat them like long-term teammates, context compounds, trust builds, and velocity finally stabilizes.
I unpacked this fully in this newsletter👉 Read it here: buff.ly/rIwrJqe
When you treat them like long-term teammates, context compounds, trust builds, and velocity finally stabilizes.
I unpacked this fully in this newsletter👉 Read it here: buff.ly/rIwrJqe
November 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
If you treat developers like interchangeable resources, you’ll always be stuck in onboarding mode.
When you treat them like long-term teammates, context compounds, trust builds, and velocity finally stabilizes.
I unpacked this fully in this newsletter👉 Read it here: buff.ly/rIwrJqe
When you treat them like long-term teammates, context compounds, trust builds, and velocity finally stabilizes.
I unpacked this fully in this newsletter👉 Read it here: buff.ly/rIwrJqe
AI was probably invented by a dev who got tired of writing regular expressions.
November 3, 2025 at 3:23 PM
AI was probably invented by a dev who got tired of writing regular expressions.