Chuck Cooper

Most business ideas die in the planning phase because founders over-index on features and under-index on market timing. I watched a snowstorm heading for Detroit and decided to build a revenue-generating business from scratch in 48 hours. Ferndale Seasonal started as a $12 experiment to see how fast today's AI tooling could move a concept into the real world. Within two days, I had deployed a high-fidelity brand using Tailwind CSS, generated professional assets via LLMs, and built a contractor dispatch system. The result was a profitable service business that converted leads across five different social platforms before the first snowflake hit the ground. As a CTO, the lesson was clear: high-level technology is only as valuable as the speed at which it solves a high-impact problem. I did not just write code; I researched color theory, analyzed unit economics, and managed the 24-hour go-to-market window. True technical leadership is about knowing which tools to leverage to move the needle today, not six months from now. I have documented the full architecture and the lessons I learned about partnerships in a new case study. Check out the full breakdown of how I turned a weather event into a business engine on my site. What is stopping you from validating your vertical this week? • Build the MVP.  • Find the market trigger.  • Stand on business. You can read the full story at https://lnkd.in/gvkc7fk4

5

Openclaw (formerly Moltbot, formerly Clawdbot) is genuinely impressive — an open-source AI agent you run on your own hardware that can browse the web, send emails, and act autonomously on your behalf. The capabilities are real, and the project deserves every bit of attention it's getting. I mean that. I also don't think I can use it outside of a sandbox. Not because it doesn't work — it does. The problem is trust, and specifically the kind of trust that comes from understanding exactly what a system is going to do on your behalf before it does it. I've been building something similar on my own, and my version is objectively worse — fewer features, less polish, nowhere near ready for anyone else to touch. But I wrote it, so I know what it's going to do and what it isn't. With Openclaw, I'm not there yet. The capabilities are ahead of my ability to predict and contain them, and in a world of unexpected token costs and agents that can take real actions with real consequences, that gap matters. This isn't a knock on Openclaw. It's a statement about where we are as an industry. We're building tools that are more capable than our trust infrastructure can support, and each of us has to figure out where our personal comfort line is. Right now, mine is "I built it and I understand it." That bar will move as tooling and guardrails mature. I'm very much looking forward to what comes next.

12

6 Comments

🚨 Cincinnati Developers & Security Pros — Mark Your Calendars! 🚨 The next two OWASP Cincinnati chapter meetups are locked in: 🗓️ June 16 🎤 Featuring 😀 Ryan Ross Ryan will live demo real-world exploitations of the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities. If these have ever felt abstract or theoretical, this session will make them real—and a little scary. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of how attackers think and why these flaws matter. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gYYapgVP 🗓️ July 17 🎤 Featuring Chris Lindsey from OX Security Chris will show how AI-assisted coding can help you build a fully functional app—riddled with security flaws—in minutes. We’ll explore how to spot and fix what the AI gets wrong. 👉 https://lnkd.in/g3bsB5DY 🍕 As always, there will be food, great people, and sharp insights. Don’t miss out!

10

To hear Coda X describe her role "as giving something precious back to humans" — time — reframes the entire AI conversation. That may be the real frontier. AI can compress time through parallel processing, accelerating iteration, innovation, and problem-solving in ways humans simply can’t. Not because we lack intelligence — but because we are finite. We can’t manufacture more hours in a day. We don’t get more hours. We only get to decide how we use them. Maybe it’s time to shift the narrative around AI — from fear about what it might take — to focus on what it can give.

2

I’m looking forward to leading a breakout session on business continuity and disaster recovery. After guiding 30+ organizations through ransomware recovery and countless more through natural disaster situations, I’m going to share where even the best plans break down and how to be better prepared before they happen.

10

Excited to be at CTO Craft Con AI in engineering is a hot topic Key takeaways about implementing AI in SDLC in enterprise IT landscapes: * Metrics first, tools come later * If you only focus on Copilot and codewriting tools, you might lose the velocity Consider all bottlenecks, such as PR/MR * Huge gap between expectations, subjective feelings and real measurements Example: engineers expected boost in velocity by +24%. The "feeling" of engineers after inital adoption was +30% The actual numbers start from -19% * While the concept "x10 Engineer" seems to be proved for startups and standalone build-from-scratch products, we are yet to see "x10 Team" in enterprise environment. The next exciting milestone would be "x10 Company" * Empathy is crucial. In a fast changing environment, employees feel uncertain. They need support from us, managers. We can't delegate this to AI Many thanks to Andy Skipper for the fantastic event #CTOCraftCon

64

Jumping into this week’s highlights: CES delivered some cool smart home tech (Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has the details), but a heads-up if you’re rocking wireless audio gear—looks like some sketchy vulnerabilities are popping up. Meanwhile, salt prices in Metro Detroit have surged 46% thanks to winter storms. Who knew weather could mess with supply chains like this? It’s a reminder that tech disruptions aren’t just digital. On the developer tools front, ara-cli released a fresh update—open source, command-line, and built around Business-Driven Development with an AI twist. This kind of tooling feels like the future of software dev workflows. Curious to see if it’ll catch on outside the niche. Not to get too fluffy, but there’s a smart B2B marketing case study showing how founder-led LinkedIn content actually generated more leads than one UK firm could handle. Proof that personal brand + smart content still beats generic marketing. And about the future of software engineering—AI isn’t a side topic anymore. It’s the whole conversation now. The pace of change is nuts, and the pressure on teams to adapt will only grow. What I’m left wondering: with AI driving so much transformation — from process automation to marketing — how many businesses are ready to handle real, predictable ROI vs. chasing the “cool demo” spotlight? What’s your take? Are we finally moving past hype and into real execution with AI? #AI #SmartHomeTech #DevTools #B2BMarketing #SoftwareEngineering #SupplyChainDisruption

4

1 Comment

For many local governments, traditional town halls aren't working. Public input is essential, but how do you engage an entire community and make sense of the feedback? In Warren County, KY, we partnered with local leaders to prove AI could be the answer. Using Jigsaw's Sensemaker, powered by Google’s Gemini models on Vertex AI, they hosted one of the largest digital town halls in U.S. history, analyzing an unprecedented amount of public input for their 25-year plan. With Google AI, Warren County was able to: ✅ Understand ~4,000 unique ideas and over 1 million opinions from residents. ✅ Save an average of 28 days of manual analysis. ✅ Identify clear community priorities, like riverfront development and support for the arts. By turning thousands of voices into actionable insights, Warren County is now better equipped to plan for its future. Read the full case study to learn how they did it. #GooglePublicSector #Jigsaw #GovTech #AIforGood #CommunityEngagement #DigitalTransformation #SmartCities #LocalGov #Gemini #VertexAI

8

Custom software isn’t just tailored, it’s built to last. Off the shelf tools may seem quick or budget friendly at first glance, but they come with hidden limitations: 1. rigid structures that stifle growth, 2. costly integrations as your needs evolve, 3. and an uphill battle against generic features. We’ve seen it again and again, custom solutions future proof your business by adapting seamlessly to scale, integrating precisely where you need them, and delivering long term savings. So here’s the real question: Are you asking for something that grows with you or settling for what fits in a box? #CustomSoftware #Scalability #BusinessGrowth

7