Field Notes

Agents Don't Break the Rules. The Rules Break First.

The rule was applied exactly as written. The regression came back the same day it left.

Styling Linear for the future with StyleX

Many of the patterns that are hardest to migrate are the ones that made the old system difficult to reason about at scale.

Do we still need design systems or do they evolve to become something more?

We have the pieces but rarely do we see the puzzle — the products, the features or the journeys they're being used for.

Coinbase's bet on agent-first development

Every conversation now starts with the same question. Why can't an agent do this, and how do we make it possible?

Protecting the Thinking Behind Great Design | Inside Linear's Design Team

When you can do anything, what you choose not to do is far more important than doing everything much faster.

AI usage patterns in software teams

As far as we can observe, teams are working more, not less, suggesting AI has a Jevons paradox quality beyond token consumption.

One AI Output Is an Example, Not an Evaluation

A single good output is like a participant who completes a task: encouraging, but not an evaluation.

Let Designers Build. Let Design Systems Govern.

The maturity of a Design System isn't measured by how few local components exist.

Psychological Ownership: Own the Right Things

You can't switch the feeling off, but you can influence what it holds on to.

How we built Linear Agent

So rather than engineering a fixed path for Linear Agent, we defined the boundaries within which it could find its own.

The Job Nobody Is Hiring For Yet

Evidence gets faster and cheaper. The verdict still needs someone who can be asked why, in public, and answer.

Designing the first five minutes

The fix isn't eliminating the setup. It's reordering it.