Michael Marriage
Thinking out loud about what’s next
I build things, lead teams, ask too many questions, and write about what I learn along the way.
I’ve spent my career at the intersection of products, technology, and business, and I’m still fascinated by how quickly all three continue to change. This is where I write about the ideas I’m exploring, the things I’m building, lessons I’ve learned, and occasionally the conventional wisdom I’m not entirely convinced we should keep following.
My Thoughts (60)
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August 31, 2026
The Model Was Rarely the Hardest Part
After building production AI products used by hundreds of thousands of people, I learned that the model is rarely the hardest part. Trust comes from observability, clear human control, and a product development process designed to learn continuously.
August 17, 2026
When Architecture Becomes Experience
One of the more interesting things I’ve noticed over the years is that software companies and customers often define the word platform very differently.
July 28, 2026
The Best Product Ideas Don’t Care Who Thought of Them
Every product leader eventually finds themselves in a familiar situation. Someone with influence has a strong opinion about what the product should do next, and the organization has to decide whether that idea represents...
July 21, 2026
When a Suite Becomes a Platform
Spend enough time in enterprise software and you’ll eventually notice that certain words begin to lose their meaning. "Innovation" is one of them. "Transformation" is another. Lately, I think "platform" belongs on that l...
July 15, 2026
Building Clarity
A few weeks after we launched a new capability, I was walking through our annual customer conference when someone stopped me to thank me for it. A little later, someone else did the same thing. By the end of the conferen...
July 6, 2026
Invisible During the Work. Visible in the Value.
One of the more interesting conversations I've been having lately starts with a deceptively simple question. Should AI be visible?
June 29, 2026
The Skills AI Couldn’t Replace
My laptop has become a retirement community for software projects. (Shady AI-cres...feel free to insert a groan.)
June 16, 2026
The Battle of the Claudes
Recently, I was working through a particularly important piece of strategic analysis. Like many people, I leaned heavily on AI to help process the information, identify themes, and formulate recommendations. The resultin...