GoKawiilLinear co-founder argues product 'soul' comes from maker intuition, not pure data
In an essay, Linear's team describes how the company has built its product by prioritizing founder and team intuition developed through customer conversations and experience, rather than relying mainly on data-driven processes. The piece argues that two teams with the same technology and customers can produce very different products because of differing perspectives and values.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The argument pushes back against the industry trend toward treating product development as a pipeline that can be automated with AI agents and metrics, suggesting human judgment still shapes what makes software feel coherent. This framing could be read as Linear positioning its own design philosophy as a differentiator against more process-heavy or AI-automated competitors, though that motive isn't explicitly stated.
- Linear says it favors intuition built from experience over pure data or process in product decisions.
- The essay warns that automating product development pipelines with agents risks losing a product's distinct character.
- Pre-launch customer conversations are credited with shaping Linear's product perspective beyond the founders' own experience.
Source: karrisaarinen.com — Karri Saarinen, 2026-10-18
Published there as: “Someone Behind the Software”
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