Acceptance Criteria

Talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly of how software gets made, and the people involved along the way

E062: AI’s horrific hidden costs are slowly being revealed

From layoffs to mental health crises, we are starting to get a clearer picture of the horrible impacts AI is having on all of us, and in this episode we continue to ask what the government and our society is going to do about it. Content Warning: this episode does discuss a few recent cases of suicide related AI chatbots, so skip ahead to 25:16 to avoid those topics. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E062: AI’s horrific hidden costs are slowly being revealed first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

12-04
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E061: Myths about the economy the AI Revolution is rejecting

In Part 2 of our look back at the Industrial Revolution, we examine the impact on the economy and workers, discuss how economists at the time, even as far back as 1830, were justifying the scale of job losses, and comparing that to the impact AI is having today. It's part history, part future predictions, and all super fascinating and often troubling. And don't forget to go back and listen to Part 1 in last week's episode for the history and context of how massive a shift the Industrial Revolution was. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E061: Myths about the economy the AI Revolution is rejecting first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

11-25
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E060: Urgent lessons from the Industrial Revolution about AI (no really)

No, you didn't misread that, we're doing a two-part history lesson on the radical earth-altering time period known as the Industrial Revolution, and what it can teach us about our modern day struggles with how AI could change the world again. I promise, it's actually super interesting, so come learn some history with us as we compare the steam engine, the advent of electricity and factory work, and today's breakneck pace of AI adoption. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E060: Urgent lessons from the Industrial Revolution about AI (no really) first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

11-20
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E059: Should Google NotebookLM Keep the Human in the Loop

It's a product review episode! We take a look at the new Google NotebookLM AI studio that tries to help people synthesize data sources into digestible materials like videos, podcasts, flashcards, and more. But the conversation quickly (and unsurprisingly) devolves into a debate over whether humans need to remain in the loop with tools like this and how the current generation of GenAI seems to be attempting to replace us rather than help us. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E059: Should Google NotebookLM Keep the Human in the Loop first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

10-23
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E058: Product flexibility will lead to better outcomes

Whether it's working with engineering teams on story point estimations or managing the feedback from marginalized user bases, good Product Management requires you to be adaptable to the situation and try new things. Sometimes that's scary. Welcome to corporate life. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E058: Product flexibility will lead to better outcomes first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

08-28
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E057: Outsourcing your brain to AI is bad, actually

Well, that WAS going to be the title of the episode. What started as a conversation over vibe coding tools and the challenges of paying a corporation who is subsidizing their Generative AI models to help you do your critical thinking quickly got diverted onto benefits fraud, politicians who lie to you, and whether or not Kevin is allowed to break capitalism to fix things. It's a contentious episode our first week back after the hiatus. It's a heated debate about the relationship between people's perception of benefits fraud, capitalism, and the welfare system. We dig into whether you can or should try to address fraud in social welfare, the role of government in providing benefits, and the challenges of reforming capitalism. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E057: Outsourcing your brain to AI is bad, actually first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

08-14
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E056: Learning when NOT to build that cool new feature

Sometimes the better answer is to not do anything at all. If you can't prove the value of a feature or that the effort to achieve that value is worth it, saying "no" to the idea is often the best course of action. We also look at scenarios where Product Managers and Engineers can benefit from being users of their own software, as well as the benefits of having competitors you can "borrow" inspiration from. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E056: Learning when NOT to build that cool new feature first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

03-27
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E055: Mark Zuckerberg and Meta bend the knee to bigotry

Kevin gets a little spicy in this bleep-filled episode discussing the latest changes to Meta's policies around fact-checking and hate speech. Trans rights are human rights, and bowing to pressure from Trump and Republicans on letting people use slurs and lie to each other poisons the well for the rest of us. Content warning for difficult discussions of trans rights, vaccines and autism, and a variety of things Meta has now decided aren't worth blocking. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E055: Mark Zuckerberg and Meta bend the knee to bigotry first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

02-07
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E054: Is Deep Seek’s AI the ultimate disruptor?

Chinese LLM company Deep Seek upended the AI market this week with a new AI model that is comparable to ChatGPT and other AIs but appears to have cost barely $5 million to create. At one-twentieth the cost of Open AI, Meta, and others' models, it begs the question: what the hell is the US market for AI doing asking for $500 BILLION right now?? Also, we look at Google's quantum computing breakthroughs and debate whether physicists actually know what they're even talking about. A conversation we're both equally capable of handling :) Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E054: Is Deep Seek’s AI the ultimate disruptor? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

01-31
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E053: Is there value in fixing every bug?

We tackle some more Reddit questions, including someone who's looking for ways to track their teams' mood, how to find a mentor, how often to constructively criticize your agile process, and whether fixing every bug is bad, actually. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E053: Is there value in fixing every bug? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

01-23
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E052: Why don’t front-ends look like the superior UX designs?

From understanding why UX designs don't always translate to the actual front-end code, to finding the creativity and joy in maintaining other people's code, it's another Reddit grab bag. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E052: Why don’t front-ends look like the superior UX designs? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

01-16
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E051: Uber & Lyft try to screw their drivers, and can AI make better crops?

We dig into some recent news, looking at an AI firm that is trying to use machine learning to predict effective crop breeds, whether AI companies have run into scaling roadblocks, and how Uber and Lyft are trying to screw drivers in NYC. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E051: Uber & Lyft try to screw their drivers, and can AI make better crops? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

01-09
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E050: The looming TikTok ban in the US and Australia’s under-age social media ban

The chances for TikTok seem to be getting slimmer by the day as a US Appeals Court upheld the ban signed by Joe Biden in April 2024. We discuss the impacts of social media and the Australian ban on under-age consumption of social media, and the concerns over trying to put age verification systems on all of the internet. Plus, we start with a quick look at the Hawk Tuah bitcoin scam. Morons are all around us. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E050: The looming TikTok ban in the US and Australia’s under-age social media ban first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

01-02
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E049: Is executive amnesia real, or do you need to do a better job communicating?

We dive in to some more Reddit questions and help a few folks out. From figuring out why it seems like executives can't remember past decisions you asked them to make, to understanding what a typical day should look like for an Enterprise Architect, we have no shortage of opinions to share. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E049: Is executive amnesia real, or do you need to do a better job communicating? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

12-26
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E048: Bluesky is the new kid on the social network block, plus the cruelty of “ghost jobs”

Have you checked out Bluesky, the latest Twitter alternative that seems to be finding traction? Have you heard about "ghost jobs" that clog job listing sites with opportunities that aren't real? This week we look at some recent news stories, including Snowflake's entry into the data orchestration market, and Amazon's struggles to get Alexa up to par with ChatGPT. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E048: Bluesky is the new kid on the social network block, plus the cruelty of “ghost jobs” first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

12-19
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E047: UnitedHealthcare and Google suffer the consequences of their actions

When the UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed last week, the social media outpouring was less sympathetic than some people might have hoped. We talk about why that might be and how we're on the precipice of something that may only get worse. Also, Google f*cked around and found out, and the DOJ is recommending they be forced to deal with the consequences of their monopolistic abuses of the online search market. Which naturally led us to a long debate on gun safety. Obviously. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E047: UnitedHealthcare and Google suffer the consequences of their actions first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

12-14
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E046: The art of saying “no” and battling Shiny Object Syndrome

We answer some more Reddit questions this week, from helping a junior Product Manager find ways of telling people “no” without making them feel like they were told “no” to suggesting ways to help a startup PM get past the Shiny Object Syndrome of their CEO and making sure clients will actually pay for the […] The post E046: The art of saying “no” and battling Shiny Object Syndrome first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

12-05
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E045: Is being “strategic” critical to Product & Engineering success?

We dive back into Reddit this week to answer some questions and hopefully help some folks out. From a team where product managers are rewarded for sneaking features into releases, to a VP who is obsessed with RACI charts, a theme emerged this week of "everything in moderation" as our overarching recommendation. There's also a question of what to say when your boss asks you "to be more strategic" and look at a Zendesk email spoofing hack that got us onto a tangent about Salesforce and Jira. As one does. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E045: Is being “strategic” critical to Product & Engineering success? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

11-21
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E044: Will Augmented Reality glasses destroy your right to privacy?

This week we take a look at some recent news stories, from Meta's new Orion AR glasses to a Noble-prize-winning machine learning model and Google's disastrous attempt to replace perfectly good tech with an LLM chat bot in its Android phones. To read about John Mulaney's roast at the Salesforce conference, check out the article from Tech Crunch: https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/19/john-mulaney-skewers-san-francisco-at-dreamforce/ Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E044: Will Augmented Reality glasses destroy your right to privacy? first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

11-14
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E043: The looming self-driving car duopoly is bad, actually

Continuing on from our last episode digging in to how self-driving cars work, this week we're taking a look at the state of the industry with some news stories about Tesla, Apple, GM, and Google's Waymo. From poor safety records to massive companies pulling out of the market, the current state of the industry doesn't look great for consumers. It also gives Kevin a chance to return to his favorite topic: bashing Elon Musk and dissecting all of Musk's terrible choices. Join the discussion on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AcceptanceCriteria/ And on the Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tyj8H9MFF The post E043: The looming self-driving car duopoly is bad, actually first appeared on Acceptance Criteria.

10-24
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