Why I started Platen

AI has become difficult to talk about. Some people are excited. Others are skeptical. Many are fearful. It's likely that the majority of us feel at least a little exhausted by the hype and noise. I empathize with all of these sentiments.

The skepticism and concerns are real, and we've learned to be cautious of technologies that promise to change the world. I do believe this one actually will—but not in the way most people are currently talking about.

In my opinion, the remarkable thing about AI isn't just that it can write code. It's that it changes the economics of who can build software, what they can build, and what problems are worth solving. Ideas that were once too small, too custom, or too expensive to justify building are suddenly within reach.

But cheaper software doesn't automatically mean better or even useful software.

The core of what makes software meaningful hasn't changed. Great software still begins with understanding people. It still requires judgment, empathy, taste, and craftsmanship. And this isn't just a product skill—some of the most talented and creative problem solvers I've worked with have been engineers, UX designers, and others—each bringing their own unique craft to turn ideas into experiences that are useful, intuitive, and genuinely valuable.

Technology has never been the point—it has always been a means to an end. Technology's real purpose, in my view, is to help us do more of what makes us human—to create, connect, and solve meaningful problems. I believe we should spend less of our time fighting with the tools that are supposed to liberate us.

For most of my career, I saw meaningful ideas get left behind because they couldn't clear the economic bar required to build traditional software. AI is changing that equation. It makes it possible to create tools that adapt to people—not the other way around—helping them spend less time fighting technology and more time doing the things they're uniquely good at.

That's why I started Platen.