The Conductor's Era

When building is easy, direction is everything

A conductor never plays an instrument. Through careful timing and clear direction, they guide musicians to create something far greater than any individual. Technology is entering this same phase.

Fifteen people at MidJourney made $200M a year. They didn't need huge teams or complicated setups. Instead, they carefully directed ML systems to multiply their impact. Each choice they made influenced how these systems worked together.

AI is great at specific tasks: writing code, creating images, handling data. It understands context better than ever. But as models becomes increasingly powerful and autonomous, the subtle human role of setting direction, defining priorities, and knowing what's valuable becomes even more critical.

Software used to be forgiving. Mistakes could be caught and fixed quickly. Today's systems amplify every decision. A single poorly considered instruction can ripple into thousands of flawed outputs. Small decisions quickly become large-scale issues through automation.

Small teams are becoming adept at guiding these systems and people together. Work that once required big teams now depends on smart, well-designed systems. But this means clearly understanding what we want before machines begin to act.

Tools to build are everywhere. The real skill isn't in the execution anymore—it's in knowing exactly when and how to raise your baton.