Karri Saarinen, a software creator at Linear, argues that the most successful products are defined by the 'soul' of their makers—the specific experiences, values, and personal perspectives that shape how a tool functions. In his analysis, Saarinen suggests that while the industry often treats software development as a standardized factory process of gathering requirements and building features, this approach overlooks the critical role of human intuition. He defines intuition not as a random guess, but as a point of view developed through years of working on products, interacting with customers, and learning from mistakes. This perspective allows creators to make definitive calls on what a product should be, rather than simply following a data-driven pipeline.
This image serves as a visual anchor for Saarinen's argument that software should be a cohesive sculpture of human intent.
Saarinen observes a growing trend where software begins to feel 'messy' because companies prioritize adding new capabilities over refining the core experience. He posits that it is technically easier to append new features than to rethink existing ones, leading to products that function as a collection of disparate abilities rather than a cohesive sculpture. This fragmentation, he suggests, may be exacerbated by the modern workflow where individuals use AI agents to produce changes independently. When multiple agents operate as small, isolated 'software factories,' the resulting product can resemble a 'Frankenstein’s monster'—a series of functional parts that lack a unified point of view or a shared creative vision.
The central tension lies between the ease of automated production and the difficulty of maintaining a consistent character. As software development becomes technically simpler, Saarinen argues that the value shifts toward the creator's ability to deeply understand a problem and shape an answer until the pieces belong together. He suggests that without a human creator to provide intent and taste, products risk becoming an average of all possible outputs, diluted by the lack of a singular perspective. For Saarinen, the goal is to move away from the 'factory' model of production toward a craft where the creator's perspective remains visible in the final product, ensuring that every feature serves a coherent, intentional purpose.