Former VP of Product Design at Facebook, author of The Making of a Manager; writes The Looking Glass.
The essay opens with an anecdote about a journalist's first impressions of a notable figure, using it as a jumping-off point to ask what humans should use their minds for as AI takes on more cognitive work. It frames…
4 tests any personal AI needs to pass to go big: 1. The mom test 2. The spare key test 3. The putting-it-off test 4. The bored-in-line test ...and my review of how @Muse does across each of them! Buckle up with a coffee and a snack, cuz this one goes deep.
Julie Zhuo reflects on Muse, a consumer AI agent she believes could actually change people's everyday habits. The essay, which is paywalled, argues that a few specific design choices explain why personal AI might…
Julie Zhuo's paid essay looks at playful, seemingly pointless things people build with AI when no one is tracking the hours or demanding a business case, such as an unusual bird display, a talking phone, and a game…
The software of the future promises more power and flexibility for more imagination. We started with use-case software, moving to platform software, moving to all-purpose coding agents. Interface design is shifting rightward. A few things to keep in mind for designers: 1. Make the interface…
Julie Zhuo's paid essay opens with Andy Warhol's point that every Coke tastes the same regardless of who drinks it, then uses that idea to frame a discussion of software. The piece appears to argue that digital products…
This question... I have spent far too many hours contemplating it. I have discovered multiple answers depending on how deep you want to go. The most pragmatic answer: you want to win a marathon, not a sprint. Too much sprinting makes you worse at marathons. The hard part, of course, is knowing how…
Too many teams are doing AI transformation poorly, so I wrote down everything I have learned in my journey and in chatting with many other leaders. A long read, so get your coffees.
Julie Zhuo's paid essay argues that an AI transformation cannot be ordered into existence from the top down. It presents a ten-step guide to leading an AI shift in a way that preserves care for people and their sense of…
Julie Zhuo writes a letter to her 11-year-old daughter about the value of struggling through hard work when AI can make almost anything effortless. The piece frames the problem as a question of cultivating the eye…
Julie Zhuo's short essay looks back at what daily life was like during the early Internet, framing the piece around a nostalgic exercise rather than a product or strategy argument. The source text provided is only a…
Julie Zhuo writes to people about to become wealthy through an IPO, acquisition, or successful business, framing a sudden liquidity event as a turning point. The essay appears to address how to handle that new reality…
Julie Zhuo's short essay, titled "I am an idiot," reflects on intellectual humility in an era when AI systems can seem to know more than we do. The piece is framed as personal notes rather than a formal argument, using…
Julie Zhuo's personal essay traces how she came to see herself as an "ice queen": someone who learned to suppress emotion and present a composed, controlled surface. The piece frames emotional guardedness as a…
An open, personal letter from a manager to a younger, overconfident college graduate she once worked with. The author reflects on how the young person's arrogance was hard to see past at the time, and frames the piece…
Julie Zhuo announces the launch of her book on management and offers predictions about how the manager role will change in the era of AI. The piece frames management as a path many product and design people will…
Julie Zhuo's paid essay reflects on the path into founding a company, framing it as a hero's journey shaped by conviction. Based on the excerpt provided, the piece looks back on the starting point and suggests founders…
A short, personal unsent letter addressed to someone who once overlooked the author. The piece reflects on the urge to appear larger and more capable when first meeting an influential figure, and the quiet hurt of…
Julie Zhuo argues that as AI systems get better at producing polished work, the traditional signals of skill and craft are eroding, pushing people to ask what human contribution still matters. The essay frames this…
Julie Zhuo argues that the expertise that made you valuable, such as a specialized craft or deep procedural skill, may be the very thing AI erodes first, leaving some professionals more exposed than others. The source…