Aboard Podcast Aboard

You’ve just shipped your latest release. Once you finish celebrating, how do you decide what to build next? Paul taps Rich, in his role as Aboard CEO, to set a course on a hypothetical product roadmap: Does he prioritize an enterprise-specific feature, another that might bump up broader user engagement, or the thing the boss tossed out because he had a vague hunch? Plus: Why is some industry-specific software beautiful, while other industries are left with clunky, uninspired “bureaucracy in software”? 

On this week’s podcast, Paul and Rich offer up some quick hits—and sample, in Rich’s words, “a buffet of technology news.” First, rhetoric: Specifically, the rhetorical pretzels of Nick Clegg, President for Global Affairs at Meta Platforms, who Paul and Rich saw speak at the EmTech Digital Conference. Next, cringe: Canva’s corporate rap that went viral recently, drawing (uncomplimentary) comparisons to HBO’s Silicon Valley or Succession’s “L to the OG.” And finally, stock disasters: On Salesforce’s steep downturn after posting weak profits, and whether that says anything about the market’s broader opinions on AI. 

Does the real promise of generative AI lie in the chatbot? Paul and Rich don’t think so. Building off a post by tech entrepreneur Dustin Moskovitz on “scaffolded AI,” they discuss extreme visions of our AI future and position themselves in the center—where tools work with the user, rather than attempt to replace them. 

There are a huge number of low-code tools out there—but is “low code” a meaningful term? Paul and Rich discuss the promise versus the reality of low code, what most businesses really need from software, and the other descriptors they’d use if tasked with a low-code rebrand.

What does “risk-taking” really mean in business—and how can embracing some level of chaos help foster success? Paul and Rich make the case for unpredictability, talking about everything from New York City’s Diamond District to the relatively short runway when running an agency to Rich’s management style. (Hint: It involves repeatedly hitting a metaphorical gong.) 

You’ve got one software system that doesn’t play nicely with your other software system—so surely the answer is a third software system to link them together, right? And how about adding a fourth, maybe even a fifth? Paul and Rich discuss the challenging gaps between the platforms people use to manage their businesses: How hard it can be to truly identify problems while you’re trying to grow, and how technology consultants tend to recommend shorter-term solutions that only make things more complicated—and more expensive.