Modal exec on product sprawl: a flailing company launches tons of random products

charles_irl · x · 2026-09-27

Jackson Stokes argues that companies launching tons of random products are good teams being misguided and flailing. Great companies are built on focus — often a single deeply challenging problem space an engineering team can grind on for years without saturating. He praises leadership at Modal for enforcing discipline and keeping everyone aligned on the mission. The quoted post jokingly says middling generative AI has shifted the offense-defense balance for attention, so he ignores that messaging channel.

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