The Important Thing

In our 101st episode, we kick off a new era of episode titles as your best engineer becomes the interim manager of their own team — delegation, one-on-ones, the three-year rule, a visit from Chili Palmer, the Cadillac of minivans salesman himself, and the only question that matters: do you actually want this job? Down the rabbit hole: Sometimes Your Job is to Stay the Hell Out of the Way, the wolves post Rands published the day this was recorded Sometimes Your Job is to Get in the Way, the direct response Get Shorty, home of Chili Palmer and the Cadillac of minivans Related Important Things episodes: EP 32: The One About 1:1s — the investment, not the cost EP 76: The One About Seven Managers EP 9: The One About Manager READMEs EP 20: The One About Management (Pt. 1) — plus Pt. 2 and Pt. 3

One hundred episodes. For this occasion, years in the coming, Lyle and Rands talk about the thing itself — the nuts and bolts of the podcast, including how the robots now do an alarming amount of the work, what a hundred episodes taught us, and why we use the "The One About…" naming convention. 🎁: the show has a home at importantthing.show. Deep-link a favorite or just scroll through a hundred episodes of history. Stuff that came up: Riverside, where this show has been recorded since the We Are Netflix days Rands Leadership Slack, now staffed by a helpful jobs robot named Floyd Planetfall, the Infocom classic Floyd is named after Friends, the homage hiding in plain sight in every episode title Marco Arment, listening since at least Rands' fiftieth birthday Related Important Things episodes: EP 56: The One About the Month of Podcasting EP 51: The One About Names... Again EP 98: The One About The Joy of Bots EP 18: The One About Sugar — Lyle's favorite, as heard on-air EP 78: The One About Sandwiches — the other favorite EP 96: The One About ARC Raiders — the first episode the robots dressed up

In our 99th episode, Rands is back on the Pro Leisure Circuit — infinite time, a suspicious amount of Arc Raiders, and no wind in the sails — and we wrestle with what actually motivates a person when the engine of work goes quiet. The usual suspects: Arc Raiders, absorbing ten-hour days like it's a job Rands Leadership Slack — 35,000 leaders, 7,000 a week Daring Fireball, John Gruber's one-person media entity Ray Kroc, who started McDonald's in his fifties CalArts, where Lyle's daughter learned she didn't want to animate for a living UC Santa Cruz, Lyle's decade in the state of California Related Important Things episodes: EP 25: The One About the Pro Leisure Circuit EP 96: The One About ARC Raiders

In our 98th episode, we list the things we've been building with our robots and figure out who we're really yelling at when it all goes wrong. Mentioned, referenced, or obsessed over: Planetfall, the Infocom game that gave Floyd his name Rands Leadership Slack Managing Humans Railway Supabase Bear Ghostty Cory Doctorow on centaurs and reverse-centaurs Related Important Things episodes: EP 73: The One About Robots EP 83: The One About Your AI Tools

In our 97th episode, we talk about how much more we learn in person and why the last 10% of anything is the most important part. Things we mentioned: Rands Leadership Slack South by Southwest Jony Ive & Patrick Collison at Stripe Sessions Related Important Things episodes: EP 73: The One About Robots

In our 96th episode, Rands goes deep (perhaps too deep) on ARC Raiders, an extraction shooter where trust is the real currency. Mentioned, referenced, or obsessed over: ARC Raiders The Last of Us (HBO) Pokemon Go Sea of Thieves World of Warcraft Acquired Podcast Related Important Things episodes: EP 25: The One About the Pro Leisure Circuit EP 2: The One About Destiny EP 55: The One About Destiny 2

In our 95th episode, we again talk about the value of exercise. Lyle paddles an outrigger, Rands used to play hockey, but now he bikes, and we compare peak heart rates. It's a thriller.

In our 94th episode, we talk about when Rands goes unhinged and why that is cathartic. Then, we talk about the plight of enterprise software users and why they are so unfortunate.

In our 93rd episode, we wonder aloud about free will, children, and what makes a good ice hockey team.

In our 92nd episode, we talk about the ongoing battle with productivity tool swirl. Again. 

In our 91st episode, we talked about Founder Mode long after everyone else had moved on.

In our 90th epsiode, we walk through all the benefits of improving our exercise strategy. 

In our 89th episode, we talk about the wires that bring us the bits. And then Derrick the editor time travels. 

In our 88th episode and WAY AFTER the book was published, Lyle and I talk about the Software Developer's Career Handbook. Yes, this book was published a year ago. 

In our 87th episode, we talk about world-building, but we mostly talk about shows that we love with a minimal amount of spoiler alerts.

In our 86th episode, we talk timepieces (again), and then we somehow segue to bees. Brace for it. 

In our 85th episode, we talk dapper and how it might be armor. 

In our 84th episode, we go deep on the idea of why it's bad to be busy. 

In our 83rd episode, we revisit the various use cases we've discovered with our favorite AI tools. 

In our 82nd episode, we talk watches I mean horology I mean chronophiles or maybe timepieces. 

In our 81st episode, we BING talk about the BONG important BONG BONG topic of BING BING BING notifications and DING DING DING notifications sounds. 

In our 80th episode, we talk about travels to last summer. There was a pillow menu. 

In our 79th episode, we talk about situations with software that might destroy your weekend. 

In our 78th episode, we're go deep on sandwiches. Great, now I'm hungry.

In our 77th episode, we discuss why magic is everywhere. 

In our 76th episode, we freestyle a list of the seven types of managers on the planet. There are more, but here are seven. 

In our 75th episode, we're talking shoes. Only 25 episodes left… and we're talking shoes. Ok.

In our 74th episode, I swear we are only talking about one Important Thing, but I may be AI hallucinating.

Everyone has AI fever in our 73rd episode where — and you better get used to it — we are talking about those robots again.

Speed round episode. Things we've been watching that you must not miss. You're welcome.

In our 71st episode, we talk about robots again, and then we follow with a Mastodon chaser. 

In our 70th episode, the topic is mediation, not meditation, but mediation. Yeah, I had to look it up, too. 

In our 69th episode, the topic is zombies in the context of The Last of Us and the entire zombie genre. BraaAAaaaaaaaaiAAains. Only 30 episodes left people.  

In our 68th episode, Lopp and Lyle discuss Lyle's performance in a horror movie as well as the role of the producer in different industries. 

In our 67th episode, the topic is Performance Reviews and how you build yourself by building others. Oh yeah, we talked about ChatGPT, too. 

In our 66th episode, the topic is Mastodon and how quickly and efficiently it has replaced our Twitter use cases.  

In our 65th episode, the topic is bags and how much optionality you require of your bag. 

In our 64th episode, we discuss proactive things you can do when the sky is falling. Also, we drink wine.

Our 63rd episode isn't really about vigilantism but more about holding grudges. 

Our 62nd episode is a little all over the place, but it works. 

Our 61st episode discusses privacy on the Internet: why we need more education, how much your data is worth, and what parts of privacy need to change. 

In our 60th episode, we talk about the ins and outs of jury duty. 

In our 59th episode, we discuss why when you need to use the mice, there is a good chance you are failing.

Our 58th episode discusses the importance of numbers and their value in remembering things. It's better than it reads. 

In our 57th episode, we talk about how editing makes everything better.

In our 56th episode, we talk about Lyle's recent month of podcasting adventures. 

In our 55th episode, we return to familiar territory with special guest John Siracusa. The topic? Destiny 2 and why many, many years again, we continue to play every single day.  Interested in our Destiny Slack? Figure out how to mail me, and I'll send you an invite.   

In our 54th episode, we revisit the familiar theme of productivity and how we swear... this time... we figured it out!

In our 53rd episode, we revisit the prior 52 episodes and talk about what we've learned. 

In our 52nd episode, we discuss the question, "Can you effectively manage people doing jobs you don't understand?"