I kvetched with DZ and Benedict about the (sometimes real, sometimes faux) dichotomy between ‘foundations’ and ‘features’, and ranted more broadly about various approaches to non-deterministic product development.

My patented double desk is featured on full display, alongside Telly and a smattering of details that reveal how big of an Apple fanboy I really am.

I answer a host of questions about starting and building Buttondown on Reddit’s AMA platform.

I chat about Buttondown and productivity!

I opine at length about the “oligopoly problem” plaguing newsletters (or, I guess, email writ large.)

…and then Spoonbill did, on the same day.

Buttondown got fireballed :)

I talk about the nuts and bolts of running Buttondown, both in terms of stack and metrics and (fun) horror stories.

Spoonbill is analyzed and dissected in depth by a major business newsletter.

I am blissfully name-dropped (and mistakenly referred to as “industrious”!) by Can Duruk in reference to the larger newsletter ecosystem.

I chatted with Mark Stenberg about the burgeoning “creator industry”, why emails are, uh, not the perfect platform, and what I think is missing from the shift to a patronage-based economy.

Nathan and I talk about Buttondown’s marketing approach and financial metrics.

I chat about how I find time to work on my projects (and how I approach work-life balance in general.)

Yaroslaw and I discuss the newsletter industry: how to choose a niche, how (and why) to monetize, and the common traits I notice across successful newsletters.

I chat about my career, how I work on projects, and tips for aspiring developers & founders.

Buttondown’s mentioned as an also-ran in the burgeoning email newsletters space. (Hey, I’ll take the SEO!)

I chat about how I juggle and prioritize projects and also about my love for Python.

Buttondown is linked (very briefly) in one of the first big traffic funnels of its early life.

Spoonbill’s first press mention.

Tinyletter — Buttondown’s biggest competition in 2018 — was facing a lot of heat because the service had been mentioned as being sunset. I got to take advantage of this.

My first press clipping! I built a very fun and silly Twilio app that would respond to emojis with corgi pictures and it went briefly extremely viral.