Why cultivating agency matters more than cultivating skills in the AI era | Max Schoening (Notion)

With Lenny Rachitsky, Max Schoening · Sunday, May 3, 2026

In this episode, Lenny Rachitsky and Max Schoening discuss the profound impact of AI on product development, emphasizing that 'agency' is more crucial than traditional skills in this new era. Schoening shares his insights from Notion on how roles are merging and how teams can build successful products by focusing on a 'tiny core' and cultivating taste through iterative feedback.

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Key takeaways

AI effectively makes the initial stages of any product or feature development free, with Notion's Max Schoening stating, "The first 10% of every project are now free." This drastically lowers the barrier for entrepreneurs. Read more →
Max Schoening, from his work at Notion, defines “taste” not as subjective preference, but as a hard-won predictive ability: you can run a “virtual machine” in your head and forecast how a specific 'in-group' will react to a product idea. Read more →

2 articles from this episode

AI Makes First 10% of Any Project Free; Founders Must Code

Notion's Max Schoening says AI makes initial development free. He argues designers and PMs must 'think in code' to build next-gen products.

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Max Schoening's Method for 'Taste' in Product Design

Stop guessing. Max Schoening shares his method for developing product design 'taste': a predictive skill built through specific reps, iteration, and environment.