Long-form
The Rise of Personal Software
The economics of software are shifting. When the marginal cost of building drops close to zero, the definition of who builds — and for whom — changes with it.
Read →johncarpenter.xyz
I write about building technology and solving problems with it.
CTO based in Calgary. I run 2 Lines Software, a mid-market CTO practice, and build AI-native products through Discontinuity.ai. This site is where I think in public about technical craft, the economics of building technology, and the work of senior technical leadership.
Recent writing
Long-form
The Economics of a Dying SaaS Market
SaaS margins were always a bet on switching costs. When AI makes rebuilding cheaper than renewing, the bet stops paying.
Read →Long-form
Surface, Oracle, Ratchet: The Pattern Inside Karpathy's Autoresearch — Applied to Code
Karpathy's autoresearch paper describes a three-part pattern that shows up everywhere agent systems work. I found the same pattern in how I use Claude Code.
Read →Field note
SOC2 Ready in a Day
I built a complete SOC 2 Type I compliance kit in a single working day using Claude Code. The deliverable was real — 12 policies, risk register, evidence index.
Read →Field note
I Live in the Terminal. I Stopped Telling Others to Join Me.
I used to think everyone should work in the terminal. I was wrong about that, and the reason I was wrong matters more than the conclusion.
Read →Speaking
Available for keynotes, technical talks, and panels. Current topics include AI agent patterns, the economics of AI-disrupted markets, and the CTO role in mid-market companies.