Ibrahim Diallo dismantles the culture of hot takes with a radical alternative:

• Why "which programming language is best?" is the wrong question

• The 3-step method to develop opinions worth having

• How debugging PHP for years taught him more than any online debate

• When Ja Rule had the right idea about 9/11 commentary

• Why some of your strongest positions should be "no position"

A masterclass in intellectual humility for a world drowning in instant takes - with actionable steps to think deeper before you speak.

Key Quote: "An opinion isn't a badge to wear - it's a hypothesis you've earned the right to test."

Ibrahim Diallo shares the counterintuitive truth about mastering new skills:

• The midnight driving lessons that taught him more than any instructor ever could

• Why 100 repetitions beat 100 tutorials for true beginners

• How parallel parking in Cairo revealed the limits of "perfect" instructions

• The hidden danger of expert advice when you're just starting out

• Why failing alone builds better intuition than succeeding with help

A liberating manifesto for anyone stuck in "research mode" - with proof that the real learning begins when you turn off the tutorials and start doing.

Key Quote: "Mastery isn't about collecting tips - it's about accumulating mileage."

Ibrahim Diallo reveals the dirty secret of software development:

• The Rule of 3 - Why you should always triple your initial estimate

• How "small changes" explode timelines (and budgets)

• Why customers only remember your first number - make it count

• The psychological trap of fixed deadlines in fluid projects

• How to reframe "how long?" into "how flexible?"

A masterclass in setting expectations that won't leave you working nights and weekends - with battle-tested tricks from 20+ years in the trenches.

(originally published in 2021)

When Ibrahim Diallo's AI accidentally called a customer "Bitch," he expected disaster. Instead, he discovered a shocking truth about customer service:

• How pandemic delays exposed the real cost of waiting (weeks vs seconds)

• The "WTF!!!" Slack message that revealed an AI's worst nightmare

• Why speed trumps perfection in customer satisfaction

• The bizarre case of "Bitch Babe" and their 5-star review

• When customers prefer bots to humans (and when they don't)

A hilarious and revealing look at what customers actually want - with lessons every business needs to hear.

Key Quote: "A fast 'No' beats a slow 'Yes' in customer service every time."

This is an old recording that I decided to post for the summer. The recruiting business is changing, but it's all a façade. Join me as we go through this rollercoaster of emotions.

Ibrahim Diallo exposes the dark truth about generative AI's biggest fans:

• The 7-million-subscriber YouTube channel pumping out 3-hour AI slop daily

• Why Amazon had to limit authors to just 3 books per day (yes, per day)

• How AI didn't kill creativity - it supercharged spam

• The invisible cost we all pay when platforms drown in synthetic content

• Why your mom's favorite YouTube channel might be a bot farm

A brutal reality check about who's really winning the AI revolution - and how to fight back before the internet becomes unusable.

Key Quote: "Generative AI isn't a tool for artists - it's a weapon for content polluters."

Ibrahim Diallo shares the cautionary tale of how his clever workaround got "fixed" into uselessness - and what it reveals about why companies kill innovation:

• The moment compliance turned his superpower into a liability

• How "the right way" often means the slow, broken way

• Why every workaround is a distress signal from your team

• The 3 questions leadership never asks (but should)

• How to smuggle efficiency through bureaucratic systems

A masterclass in keeping solutions alive when process tries to strangle them - with battle-tested tricks from the engineering trenches.

Key Quote: "Process isn't the enemy - it's what happens when we ignore why workarounds work."

When Ibrahim Diallo's GPS died mid-commute, he made a terrifying discovery: he couldn't navigate his own city. In this episode, he reveals:

• How AI is eroding your brain's "muscle memory" without you noticing

• The dangerous gap between AI's System 1 speed and your missing System 2 skills

• Why "vibe coding" creates helpless programmers (and how to avoid it)

• 3 rules for using AI without losing your edge

• What chess masters and ER doctors know about building real intuition

A wake-up call for anyone who wants to stay relevant in the age of artificial intelligence.

Key Quote: "AI doesn't just replace your thinking - it prevents you from becoming the thinker you could be."

Ibrahim Diallo shares the counterintuitive truth every expert needs to hear:

• The startup that hired me after I gave them everything for free

• How documenting your "secret sauce" attracts better clients than any sales pitch

• Why people pay you to do what you just taught them (it's not laziness)

• DigitalOcean's playbook for turning free tutorials into millions in revenue

• When open-source philosophy beats proprietary guarding

A masterclass in why generosity is the ultimate business strategy - with proof from tech, consulting, and beyond.

Key Quote: "Your secret sauce isn't valuable because it's secret - it's valuable because you're the one holding the bottle."

What happens when your most "indispensable" employee suddenly disappears? Ibrahim Diallo reveals:

• The CTO who took $1M worth of business logic to his grave (buried in Ruby code)

• Why knowledge hoarding is career suicide (and team poison)

• How to stress-test your team like Netflix tests its servers

• The unexpected benefits of last-minute PTO (yes, really)

• Why documentation is love letters to your future team

A masterclass in building teams that don’t collapse when life happens – with stories from the engineering trenches.

Key Quote: "Job security doesn’t come from being irreplaceable – it comes from making your whole team unstoppable."