Building AI products requires a new kind of speed
Speed, AI, and the End of the Traditional Product Process
Speed is essential in any small company with big ambitions.
In the early days of SpaceX, Elon reportedly framed their urgency like this:
“If we believe SpaceX will generate $10 million in revenue per day within 10 years, then every day we delay is a day of missing out on that.”
That mindset stuck with me.
It’s a forcing function for speed and a reminder that slowness has a cost.
You see this in every great company. High output, fast feedback, small bets, bold moves. But what happens when we apply that lens to how we build in this new era of AI?
It becomes clear:
The traditional product process no longer works.
We need to rethink the product process
The typical flow of wireframes, customer calls, polished specs, pixel-perfect designs, it all falls apart when you’re building with AI.
Why?
Because AI isn’t deterministic. It’s emergent. Unpredictable. The question we hear over and over again, both internally and from our customers, is:
“How good will AI be able to handle this?”
The only honest answer is:
“Let’s try it and see.”
Which means we can’t afford to wait until everything’s perfectly designed before we start building. In fact, we often need to build first to even understand what we’re designing for.
From handoff to loop
What works better is a faster, more integrated loop:
Designers and engineers prototype small slices together
We test live behavior, not just UI flows
We iterate based on what the AI actually does, not what we assume it will
Design becomes more improvisational. Less storyboard, more jam session.
And frankly, it’s exciting, it feels like going back to first principles.
But this only works if the team is aligned on what problem we’re solving and what success looks like. Speed without alignment just creates noise.
When we’re clear on the outcome, we can move fast without second-guessing. Everyone, engineering, product, design, knows the guardrails and can make decisions in motion.
Where This Is Headed
AI is changing how we build. Not just what products do, but how we design them, how we collaborate, and how we move.
Speed isn’t a luxury anymore; it’s table stakes.
But sustainable speed requires a new process, one rooted in tight feedback loops, clear ownership, and clear outcomes.
If you’re still designing everything before you build,
you’re probably moving too slow and learning too late.