I almost quit twice

A year of skipping the fairytales.

This is uncharted.

A newsletter about going places before there’s a map.

I did not know that when I started it. It took me over a year to figure out what I was doing. Honestly, I almost quit twice.

uncharted is simple. I go where nobody's figured it out yet. I find out what’s working, what isn’t, and what nobody wants to say out loud. Then I write about it. Some of this is me thinking out loud. Still working things out.

Don't expect polished takes, those are fairytales. This is something else.

Thank you for showing up. For the replies that made me rethink things. For forwarding the uncomfortable ones to people who needed to hear them. For not unsubscribing when I wrote something dumb.

Agentic Vibe Marketing Is Already Here was my biggest post this year. One smart marketer can now outwork a team of five mids. Most companies still haven’t noticed.

Compound Engineering With Claude Code showed what AI-native engineering looks like in the hands of a pro. Two engineers, six agents, features from voice commands. Very few know how to hire or manage for this yet.

Every Startup Needs a Designated Hater remains a favorite. Someone who rips bad ideas before they escape. Every team needs one.

If My Work Looks Simple, I’m Replaceable hit on something nobody says out loud. People make work look complicated to stay important. This is job security through controlled complexity.

When to Hire Humans vs Hand It to AI touched a nerve I wasn’t expecting. Big Tech cut grad hiring by 25%. Banks slashed junior roles. Nobody has a clean answer. Including me.

You Can’t Prompt Your Way to Production said what the AI hype machine won’t. If you don’t understand your AI-generated code, you’re building something that breaks when paying customers show up.

AI is Stealing Everyone’s Voice was about staying human when it’s getting easier not to. Still the thing I care about most.

Next year won’t be any clearer. Good. That’s where I work best.

See you out there.

Martin

P.S. If there’s a topic you want me to tackle in 2026, reply to this email. I read everything.