The problem with big projects

In this episode of the Fathom Analytics Above Board podcast, hosts Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis dive into a significant transition—Paul's retirement from the company. The conversation is both heartfelt and insightful, reflecting on the bittersweet nature of this change.Key Highlights:Retirement Announcement: Paul shares his decision to retire, emphasizing it as a positive step rather than a departure from something he disliked. He discusses the importance of leaving Fathom in a strong position without compromising its independenceBittersweet Emotions: Both hosts express mixed feelings about the end of their five-year partnership, acknowledging the deep connection they've built while also looking forward to new beginningsCompany Evolution: The discussion touches on Fathom's unexpected journey from a side project to a thriving business, highlighting the trust and collaboration that defined their co-founding relationshipFuture Plans: Paul contemplates his next steps post-retirement, sharing that while he doesn’t foresee jumping back into entrepreneurship , he remains open to possibilities. He reflects on how he has never tied his identity to the business, allowing for a smoother transitionThis episode is not just about retirement; it’s a celebration of growth, friendship, and the unpredictability of entrepreneurial life.Read more about this announcement on the blog.

In the latest episode of The Above Board Podcast, hosts Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis discuss the decline of Google as an effective search engine, particularly in light of its increasing reliance on AI-generated content. They share personal anecdotes about their frustrations with search results, noting that traditional search engines like Google and DuckDuckGo have become less reliable, often returning irrelevant or incorrect information. Jack expresses skepticism about AI's ability to replace developers, arguing that while AI can assist with basic tasks, it often fails in more complex scenarios, leading to wasted time and confusion. Both hosts lament the impact of SEO practices on content quality, which they believe prioritizes keyword optimization over meaningful information, resulting in a frustrating user experience filled with ads and irrelevant content. They conclude that many users are outsourcing their critical thinking to AI and search engines, which may ultimately hinder their understanding and knowledge retention.TakeawaysGoogle search has become less effective over timeAI is not a reliable tool for complex technical tasksSEO practices have led to a decline in content qualitySearch results can significantly influence public opinionUnderstanding the incentives behind search engines is crucialAI-generated content can often be incorrect or misleadingThe reliance on AI may lead to a decline in critical thinkingUsers are increasingly frustrated with the quality of search resultsThe future of search engines may involve more AI integrationTrust in search engines is diminishing due to advertising influence

Jack and Paul discuss what’s new at Fathom Analytics recently, like the ongoing refactor project. This paves the way for great new features, including entry and exit pages. They also give their opinions on the recent drama in the WordPress (WP) community between Automattic and WPEngine.

In the latest episode of the Above Board Podcast, hosts Paul Jarvis and Jack Ellis discuss various topics, with a significant portion of the conversation focuses on the recent arrest of Telegram's CEO in France (Pavel Durov), exploring the implications of privacy and censorship, encryption, and the responsibilities of social media platforms in policing illegal activities. The hosts debate the complexities of freedom of speech, censorship, and the role of government and corporations in regulating discourse, emphasizing the importance of allowing open discussions to foster understanding and informed opinions.

Things are humming along at Fathom Analytics - we’ve released several new features, have more in the pipeline coming soon, and the redoing of our internal processes is going quite well. Jack and Paul also discuss the Stripe acquisition of LemonSqueezy, the CEO of Paddle stepping down and finally, why Fathom does’t do discounts or sales (ever).

Jack and Paul get into updating the application’s interface design and how that paves the way for new features coming soon. They also discuss why no one should trust Google’s business model (and their penchant for killing off popular products like Universal Analytics), the lengths Fathom goes to to support old analytics data, why you should lean into what works for you (even if it’s not the consensus), why companies should care a lot more about protecting their customers data, why public corporations are incentivized for being sociopaths, and so much more.

The conversation delves into the ethical implications of AI, the use of AI in software, and the impact of AI on various industries. It also explores the challenges and limitations of AI technology, as well as the importance of privacy and data protection in AI development.TakeawaysAI has the potential to revolutionize industries but raises ethical concerns about privacy and data protection.The use of AI in software development presents challenges and limitations, including the need for accuracy and reliability.Privacy and data protection are crucial considerations in the development and use of AI technology, especially with what data is used to train these models.The impact of AI on various industries requires careful evaluation and ethical decision-making, not just “moving fast and breaking things”.AI’s ego is it’s problem: it thinks it’s correct when it’s not, and attempts to be convincing about things it can’t know for certain is true.

Today Jack and Paul discuss what's not been working with getting the next version of Fathom Analytics launched. They come up with a plan, in real-time, to overcome this hurdle and get back to a regular cadence of releases (i.e. not a big project). They also come up with a set of rules to govern internal projects.

Software is complex. This episode goes into the pros and cons of how Jack (developer) and Paul (designer) work in terms of how they each make progress in huge projects, start and execute tasks, and deal with analysis paralysis that comes with complicated things.

It’s been a while since Jack and Paul have recorded an episode of this show, so there’s a lot to catch up on! A new marketing site was launched, we’re still a small team navigating focus, we’re working on a brand new version of our software, and we’ve prototyped a new ingest to be the fastest analytics ingest in the world.