Writing on fractional CTO work, AI-first product engineering, software delivery, and product leadership. https://mikerispoli.com/ JSON Lisp started with a question: what if AI could stream the right interface for one user instead of forcing everyone through the winning side of an A/B test? https://mikerispoli.com/blog/json-lisp-ai-written-interfaces/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/json-lisp-ai-written-interfaces/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Founders can get farther than ever with AI tools. The hard part is crossing the final mile into software customers can trust. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/fractional-cto-in-the-ai-era/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/fractional-cto-in-the-ai-era/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The demo proved something. Now you need to figure out whether it is a product, a workflow, a throwaway prototype, or a technical trap. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/what-to-do-when-your-ai-prototype-gets-stuck/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/what-to-do-when-your-ai-prototype-gets-stuck/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT A messy MVP does not automatically need a rewrite. The right call depends on what the current system is costing the business. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/rebuild-or-repair-your-mvp/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/rebuild-or-repair-your-mvp/ Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT A bad agency handoff can leave founders with code, invoices, and no confidence. The rescue starts by separating blame from diagnosis. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/how-to-rescue-a-failed-agency-build/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/how-to-rescue-a-failed-agency-build/ Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT A useful audit should not just list problems. It should tell a founder what to do next, what to avoid, and what risk the business is carrying. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/what-a-product-rescue-audit-should-tell-you/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/what-a-product-rescue-audit-should-tell-you/ Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT A team can hit the deadline, ship the feature, and still avoid the thing the business needed to learn. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/the-worst-kind-of-failure-looks-like-success/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/the-worst-kind-of-failure-looks-like-success/ Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT AI and automation are most useful after you understand the work well enough to know what should disappear. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/do-hard-things-before-you-automate/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/do-hard-things-before-you-automate/ Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT Technical debt is not automatically bad. The real problem is when nobody remembers what the debt bought or when it has come due. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/misunderstanding-technical-debt/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/misunderstanding-technical-debt/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT An anxious customer is not always a delivery problem. Sometimes they are showing you where the product, process, or promise is unclear. https://mikerispoli.com/blog/client-anxiety-is-product-signal/ https://mikerispoli.com/blog/client-anxiety-is-product-signal/ Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT