AI, Shipping Faster, and the Future of Distribution

AI, Shipping Faster, and the Future of Distribution Full Show Noteshttps://www.theintelligenceagepodcast.com/841Mark Smith talks with Steve Mordue about how AI has changed the pace of building, shipping, and distributing software over the last six months. Steve shares what it looks like to move from being a seller and product visionary to building almost everything himself, why the last 5 percent is often the hardest part, and why distribution is now as important as the product itself.They also get into Microsoft’s role in AI, the rise of open weight models, model routing, enterprise trust, and how sovereign data concerns are reshaping what companies can safely adopt.Key topicsIn this episode, Steve Mordue describes the last six months in AI as a mix of speed, exhaustion, and concentrationHe says work is moving so fast that things built just months ago already feel outdatedAI has not reduced the workload so much as multiplied the number of possible ideasSteve reflects on building Rapid Start CRM and what that taught him about scaleHe says the platform reached about 170,000 usersLooking back, he feels it should have reached far more if marketing had been strongerWe discuss the “last 5 percent” problemMark raises the challenge of turning a near-finished product into something shippableSteve admits he is deeply affected by perfectionism and often obsesses over details others do not care aboutSteve explains why he now launches before perfectionHe says he recently forced himself to ship an AI app at 95 percent completeHis view is that waiting for 100 percent means never launchingWe talk about how AI has changed his role from seller to builderSteve says his core strength has always been sellingHe now uses AI to write code, prototype, and build without depending on a large dev teamHe says the old dependency on teams and contractors has largely disappearedEvery future Rapid Start product, he says, will be built by him aloneHis main limitation is no longer engineering access, but timeThey explore the value of domain expertise in the AI eraSteve argues that people with deep knowledge in a narrow business area are best positioned to apply AI wellHe believes AI works best when paired with years of real industry experience'Distribution becomes the central strategic problemMark and Steve discuss how social platforms, email, and newsletters are losing effectivenessSteve says LinkedIn followers are usually peers, not buyers, which limits direct revenue impactThey compare Microsoft’s strengths and weaknesses in AISteve acknowledges Microsoft’s global distribution, infrastructure, and governance strengthsIf you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith