Build It Faster

Can a 4B Model Beat Claude in a Mech Arena? (BIF Ep 9)

Josh came in with one goal: resist showing us the 3D demo he spent two weeks building. He succeeded. Barely. Instead we talked about the actual interesting stuff — why he's building systems for AI agents instead of humans, how a mech arena became his favorite benchmarking tool, and what happens when you let Claude playtest your game engine for you. Also: two Blackwell GPUs, a Glicko rating system, and the most cursed MMORPG premise we've ever heard. * 00:00 Intro — Mike's late, just Joe and Josh * 01:04 Six weeks later: redefining success * 02:34 Enter Matt, the PM partner * 04:35 Federated agents and the mech arena * 07:44 BattleBots but autonomous * 09:20 Why he killed the 3D demo * 17:32 Mike finally shows up * 20:58 How the arena actually works * 24:55 Josh's model stack and hardware ceiling * 35:48 Monday idea, Friday artifact * 38:23 BYO LLM: prompt it, throw it in, watch it lose * 43:15 Tournaments, ratings, Steam for agents * 51:28 Token fight economics * 54:16 Three-day POC rule and wrapping up

The PM Pushed Code (BIF Ep 8)

Mike shares his recent deep dive into AI tools like Claude, exploring how he's integrating them into work processes, building AI-driven workflows, and lessons learned along the way. The conversation covers practical strategies for leveraging LLMs, managing code projects, and enhancing communication and project management with AI. * 00:00 Introduction and Personal Updates * 03:17 The Impact of AI on Work Habits * 06:11 Learning and Teaching AI Tools * 09:21 Building an AI Guild at Work * 12:10 Problem Solving with AI * 18:17 Creating a Google Form with AI * 24:08 Iterating and Improving Processes with AI * 28:20 Planning and Context Management in AI Usage * 30:45 Navigating AI Tools for Project Management * 32:00 Creating Effective Project Roadmaps * 34:53 Leveraging AI for Code Analysis * 38:43 Integrating AI with Data Sources * 41:43 Focusing AI's Attention on Relevant Information * 44:46 Optimizing AI for GitHub and Snowflake Access * 48:57 The Role of AI in PR Management * 53:39 Trusting AI: The Need for Human Oversight

The PM in the Codebase (BIF Ep 7)

Mike recently got access to Claude Code at work — and as a non-engineer, he's been using it in ways nobody expected. In this episode, Mike and Joe break down what happens when a PM starts interrogating the codebase, from learning how systems actually work to catching years of organizational mythology that turned out to be wrong. They explore practical use cases for non-technical folks — market research, data access, UI mockups — and get into the weeds on Mermaid diagrams, hallucination strategies, and sub-agents. They also both happen to be starting AI Guilds at their respective companies, and have a lot to say about why bottom-up beats top-down when it comes to AI adoption. 00:00 Intro & The Flowchart Problem01:29 Mike Gets Claude Code Access06:45 Use Cases for Non-Engineers09:30 Market Research & Data Science with AI Agents11:25 Read-Only Database Access: What's Safe?13:00 Two Challenges: Threading & Hallucination15:25 How to Pressure-Test AI Answers17:45 Mermaid Diagrams Explained21:44 Mermaid in Notion23:49 Building an AI Guild at Work28:46 Sub-Agents & Avoiding Hallucination30:23 Wrap Up & What's Next

Is Shipping Still the Goal? (BIF EP6)

When AI can build anything, how do you decide what's worth building? Josh comes back on the show and throws a question at Mike and Joe that every solo dev and indie hacker is quietly wrestling with: is shipping still the goal? We dig into what "value" actually means when code is free, why building for yourself beats building for the market, and how the shovel factory metaphor exposes the trap most AI-era developers fall into without realizing it. Mike breaks down how real product managers filter signal from noise and pick what to build next. Joe makes the case that what's timeless matters more than what's novel. And Josh gets honest about pausing a product he's been heads-down on — and what that decision actually cost him. If you've ever vibe-coded three apps in a weekend and felt empty at the end of it, this one's for you. Topics covered: * Signal vs noise in product prioritization * Why passion-first building outperforms market-first building * The "shovel factory" trap and how to escape it * What PMs actually do when they score backlog items * When consulting beats shipping a product * How to know if your beachhead is real 00:00 Reconnecting After a Break 00:37 Navigating Project Management Challenges 03:05 Defining Value in Product Development 08:23 Signals vs. Noise in Decision Making 18:22 Finding the Right Focus in Fast-Paced Environments 26:12 Building for Passion vs. Others 27:01 Finding Excitement in Projects 28:19 Navigating the Saturated App Market 30:02 The Shovel Factory Metaphor 30:55 The Value of Timeless Solutions 32:19 Identifying Real-World Outcomes 35:23 Consulting as a Viable Path 38:58 The Importance of Use Cases 43:48 Teaching and Sharing Knowledge

AI-Powered Podcast Indexing from 100 Hours of Audio (BIF Ep 5)

In this episode of Build It Faster, hosts Mike and Joe discuss their vision for creating a cohesive body of work from their podcast episodes. They explore the idea of synthesizing content into articles and books, the importance of indexing their discussions, and the potential for monetization through membership and workshops. The conversation emphasizes the need for organization and accessibility of their content, aiming to create a valuable resource for listeners. 00:00 Introduction and Goals 04:58 Exploring the Body of Work 11:22 Synthesis and Content Creation 16:37 Indexing and Organizing Content 33:25 Proof of Concept and Future Directions