I Never Want to Use Third-Party Software Again

The essay argues that software is moving toward hyperpersonalization. The author shows this through their own tools, from an agent app built for eight terminals to a Duolingo-like app for their kids, and says the point is both workflow fit and self-expression.

Reading notes

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• The author says software used to feel shared and uniform, but AI is changing that.
• Personalization already shapes names, entertainment, and recommendations.
• Most software still keeps personalization in settings menus, which limits what users can change.
• The author built a mobile app for managing AI agents and then a desktop version tailored to their own workflow.
• The app uses Claude and Codex together, keeps eight agents in a grid, and removes features the author does not use.
• The author describes this as a feedback loop where they can change friction points immediately.
• The essay links this feeling to the IKEA effect, where people value what they assemble themselves.
• The author also built a math and reading app for their children using stories tied to their real lives and interests.
• The kids could give feedback on difficulty and request specific story content.
• The author says personalized lessons helped students in a cited study solve algebra problems faster and more accurately.
• The essay gives two reasons hyperpersonalization will matter: workflow utility and self-expression.
• It frames software in levels, from specific use cases to platform builders to anything builders.
• The author recommends making interfaces malleable, letting preferences go beyond preset options, letting feedback change the product, and treating seams between tools as part of the experience.
• The closing claim is that software will increasingly be remixed to fit individual people.