Episode Details

AI, Shipping Faster, and the Future of Distribution

Full Show Notes
https://www.theintelligenceagepodcast.com/841

Mark Smith talks with Steve Mordue about how AI has changed the pace of building, shipping, and distributing software over the last six months. Steve shares what it looks like to move from being a seller and product visionary to building almost everything himself, why the last 5 percent is often the hardest part, and why distribution is now as important as the product itself.

They also get into Microsoft’s role in AI, the rise of open weight models, model routing, enterprise trust, and how sovereign data concerns are reshaping what companies can safely adopt.

Key topics
In this episode, Steve Mordue describes the last six months in AI as a mix of speed, exhaustion, and concentration

He says work is moving so fast that things built just months ago already feel outdated
AI has not reduced the workload so much as multiplied the number of possible ideas

Steve reflects on building Rapid Start CRM and what that taught him about scale
He says the platform reached about 170,000 users

Looking back, he feels it should have reached far more if marketing had been stronger
We discuss the “last 5 percent” problem

Mark raises the challenge of turning a near-finished product into something shippable
Steve admits he is deeply affected by perfectionism and often obsesses over details others do not care about

Steve explains why he now launches before perfection

He says he recently forced himself to ship an AI app at 95 percent complete

His view is that waiting for 100 percent means never launching

We talk about how AI has changed his role from seller to builder

Steve says his core strength has always been selling

He now uses AI to write code, prototype, and build without depending on a large dev team

He says the old dependency on teams and contractors has largely disappeared

Every future Rapid Start product, he says, will be built by him alone

His main limitation is no longer engineering access, but time

They explore the value of domain expertise in the AI era

Steve argues that people with deep knowledge in a narrow business area are best positioned to apply AI well

He believes AI works best when paired with years of real industry experience
'
Distribution becomes the central strategic problem

Mark and Steve discuss how social platforms, email, and newsletters are losing effectiveness

Steve says LinkedIn followers are usually peers, not buyers, which limits direct revenue impact

They compare Microsoft’s strengths and weaknesses in AI

Steve acknowledges Microsoft’s global distribution, infrastructure, and governance strengths

If you want to get in touch with me, you can message me here on Linkedin.

Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith