Alex Komoroske

Founder & Former Head of Corporate Strategy at Stripe / Former Google (13 years)

One of the most original first-principles thinkers on product and tech, having spent 13 years at Google leading Chrome's Open Web Platform, AR in Maps, and company-wide strategy, then Head of Corporate Strategy at Stripe, now founding an AI-era startup.

The Visionary The Operator

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 95%

Execution & Craft 50%

Data & Experimentation 40%

Growth & Distribution 30%

Team & Leadership 60%

User Empathy & Research 40%

Key Themes

gardener vs builder mindset LLMs as disruptive technology taste as competitive advantage adjacent possible and slime mold thinking deep reflection practices organizational strategy alignment

Episode Summary

Alex Komoroske offers a deeply original perspective on how LLMs will reshape product development, arguing they're a disruptive 'magical duct tape' that changes the economics of software and makes taste the most critical competitive advantage. Drawing from 13 years at Google and his role at Stripe, he advocates for a gardener mindset over a builder mindset, organizational concepts inspired by slime mold, and disciplined reflection practices that generate his most impactful insights.

Leadership Principles

→ Think like a gardener, not a builder — garden things that grow on their own rather than manipulating to match a plan
→ LLMs are magical duct tape that undermines the assumption that software is expensive to write and cheap to run
→ Taste is the most important skill in the AI era — you must stand out from the background noise of AI-generated slop

Notable Quotes

"So much of the way that we build products is this builder mindset. What I look for instead are things that can be gardened, things that can grow on their own and that you can direct. If you do this properly, it looks like magic."
— On the gardener versus builder mindset for creating outsized value

"LLMs are magical duct tape. So much of the industry presupposes that software is expensive to write and cheap to run, and LLMs undermine both of these."
— On how LLMs disrupt fundamental assumptions about software economics

"We've seen a vast reduction in the cost of distribution of information, and now we're seeing a reduction in the cost of production. Most of it is slop. In this cacophony, you stand out by having good taste."
— On why taste becomes the most important skill in the AI era

Want to know how you compare?

Take the Assessment