The irreplaceable value of founder-written code and why delegation has its limits.

The Standard Advice

"Founders should delegate technical work as soon as possible."

"Your job is to be the CEO, not the engineer."

"Hire people smarter than you and get out of the way."

This advice is everywhere. It's also incomplete.

The Case for Founder Code

There are things a founder learns from writing code that cannot be learned any other way:

1. True Customer Understanding

When you build the feature yourself, you make a thousand micro-decisions. Each one requires understanding what the user actually needs. Not what they say they need. Not what research suggests. What they actually need.

These decisions compound. By the end of a V1, you understand your customer better than any number of user interviews could teach you.

2. Speed Without Translation

Ideas in my head become features in production in hours, not weeks. There's no:

• Writing specs
• Translating requirements
• Waiting for availability
• Review cycles
• Misunderstandings

The fastest path from insight to shipped product runs through a founder who can code.

3. Credibility With Engineers

The best engineers want to work for people who understand their craft. When I review code, suggest architectures, or debate technical tradeoffs, I bring experience from the trenches. Not theory. Practice.

When Delegation Makes Sense

This isn't a case against hiring engineers. It's a case against premature delegation.

Delegate when:

• The pattern is established and needs to scale
• The work is maintenance, not innovation
• Your time has higher-leverage uses

Don't delegate when:

• You're exploring new territory
• Customer understanding is critical
• Speed of iteration matters most

The V1 Rule

For every new product, every new feature category, every new market entry—I write the V1 myself.

It's not efficient. It's effective.

The lessons from those V1s inform every decision that follows. When we eventually hire engineers to scale, they're building on foundations that work because they were forged in direct contact with reality.

The Bottom Line

Founder-written code isn't a phase to rush through. It's a competitive advantage to maintain as long as possible.

Ship the V1. Learn what only shipping teaches. Then decide what to delegate.