Standing in the Fire

15: Hot Takes: AI Art, Vibe Coding, and Why Codex Isn't All Bad

August 10th, 2026

Sometimes the thing that's slowing you down isn't the business, it's the nasal spray. John's back, feeling good, and firing on all cylinders. Kris is deep in the work of letting go. This one's equal parts founder therapy and technical nerd session.

Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro: Starting with the Wins
(0:39) It Was the Flonase (John's Back)
(2:39) Collecting Validation: Save the Wins Too
(5:11) The Fireside New Studio: What's Working
(10:04) Delegate or Die: Letting Go Without Losing Control
(12:33) New Segment: Sparks Fly (Hot Takes)
(13:05) Hot Take: AI Art Is Ruining the Print Shop
(20:01) Hot Take: Codex Isn't All Bad
(24:59) Vibe Coding: What Nobody Tells You
(28:29) Fan the Flames: Try More Than One AI
(30:07) The Busy Light Saga
(35:28) Embers: Momentum Startup Cohort
(37:22) Embers: Podcast Art & Thumbnail Strategy
(38:20) Surviving a 5-Hour Railway Outage with Claude
(44:45) Flare, Box Out Click Tracking & What's Next

Check Out John's Stuff:

Check Out Kris's Stuff:

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