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Matt Watson Profile
Matt Watson

@mattwatsonkc

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833
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456
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Entrepreneur, Startup CTO/CEO, Bootstrapped to a 9 figure SaaS exit, founder of @fullscalekc, subscribe to my newsletter about product thinking for engineers

Kansas City, MO
Joined October 2021
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
2 hours
As an entrepreneur I don't really want to make billion dollar bets. I'd rather make several smaller bets. I want to hit multiple singles, not a grand slam or strikeout.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
1 day
Not just about the code, but about why the code exists. The most important thing to learn isn’t syntax. It’s the customer’s problem. Because AI can help you write code. But only you can understand what’s worth building. The devs who will thrive aren’t the ones who fear AI or.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
1 day
Use AI, and you risk stalling your growth. Ignore AI, and you risk becoming irrelevant. So what’s the path forward?. It’s not about choosing sides. It’s about building judgment. ✅ Write the code yourself, then ask AI to help you improve it. ✅ Use AI to explore options, not.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
1 day
AI is creating a major catch-22 for junior devs. If you rely on AI too much, you skip the struggle that teaches you how to think. You ship code, but you don’t know why it works. You solve problems, but you don’t learn how to break them down. If you avoid AI completely, you’re.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
2 days
Your devs aren’t the bottleneck anymore. So why is your process still built like they are?.AI sped up delivery. Now the real constraint is clarity. If you’re still treating requirements like paperwork, you’re already behind. 🟢 Get the full article:
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
3 days
We need to stop all of these mega mergers and acquisitions. We don't want "Buy n Large" to own everything in this world. Private equity is also destroying many of the best companies in this world.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
3 days
I’m not chasing a unicorn. I’m chasing something more real. Real problems. Real customers. Real value. My goal?.To understand their problems better than they do. Because that is the only way to solve them in a way that matters. Forget billion-dollar valuations. I want to build.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
6 days
I'm an engineer. I try shit that doesn't work, until the shit works.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
8 days
Product Driven is the book I wrote to fix that. It’s about building a leadership culture where product thinking thrives, .and engineers are no longer left in the dark. Engineers aren’t mushrooms. But some teams sure manage them like they are.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
8 days
A lot of software engineers work like mushrooms in the basement. Kept in the dark. Fed a backlog. Disconnected from why their work matters. That’s not just bad for morale. It’s bad for the product. Because engineers don’t just write code. Engineers build products. But only if.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
8 days
ENGINEERS BUILD PRODUCTS. Let me say it louder for the people in the back:. ENGINEERS BUILD PRODUCTS!. Not just code. Not just tickets. Products. For people. So why do we still treat engineers like they don’t need to understand the user?. They need to know why the product.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
8 days
As a startup, every employee you hire is a bet on your success or failure. I need to hire a new lead software engineer. Someone I would bet my entire company on to innovate. That's how you have to think about early stage hiring.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
9 days
Explaining your code to a rubber duck finds more bugs than most automated testing. Try it.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
9 days
The best peer review is the one you do on yourself before anyone else sees your code.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
9 days
If your engineers can’t describe your user without a doc, your product is already off track. Clarence Tan built a kids’ game 10M+ love by doing one thing better than most founders:.He listened. Read about it here →
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
10 days
How is AI impacting software engineering jobs? . All I know is my company has never had less to do. We have over 250 software engineers and hire new ones every week. Every month this year has been record high revenue. Four years in a row on the Inc 5000. I feel like AI is.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
10 days
Companies have been leveraging technology and innovation since the invention of the wheel, the printing press, the plow, the cotton gin, the computer, and now artificial intelligence. Is this time different?.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
10 days
There are four types of engineering leadership:.Strategy .Product.Operational.Technical . Which one are you good at?. Don't say all four. Don't lie to yourself. Like many startup founders, I love building products. Managing teams and processes is the kind of detail work I.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
11 days
A CTO that doesn't understand the why or the product is an architect at best, not a CTO. A C-level position has to drive strategy. They own customer outcomes. They have to understand the why and product to be able to coach it to the entire engineering team. Too many CTOs are.
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@mattwatsonkc
Matt Watson
11 days
Real startup founders are too busy to go to endless startup networking events. Oh, and I have kids. So, no I'm not going. That shit is for single 20 somethings who want to start a company, but haven't.
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