Founder Reality
I build in AI - and I write down what it's actually like.
Right now I'm shipping an open-weight model. This is where I think out loud about it - what I'm seeing, what I'm deciding, and what I'm getting wrong as I build.
First-hand, no script. Notes from inside the work, not commentary from outside it.
George Pu. Building an open-weight model in Toronto - no investors, no co-founders.
Latest essays
What I'm thinking about right now.
I have stopped knowing what a productive day feels like
AI made our small team faster than any team I've run before. It also destroyed the old relationship between effort, output, and satisfaction.
Read essayGeorge's Takes
The company is moving faster than I am
George's Takes
30 Days, Six Products, Two Dead Models, and the Part That Didn't Work
George's Takes
We Bet the Company on Open Weights. Here's What's Happening to Them.
George's Takes
What a 3-Person Team Actually Pays for AI: July 2026
George's Takes
Browse all essaysWe Know About One
From the series · 90-Day Action Plan to Surviving AI
The Grief
After I decided to kill SimpleDirect, I didn't tell anyone for two weeks.
Get new essays by email
When I publish something, you get it. No schedule, nothing to buy.
Unsubscribe anytime.