Chris Compston
@chriscompston.bsky.social
I build great product operating models, so you can build great products
Consulting: chriscompston.com
Newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com
Consulting: chriscompston.com
Newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com
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Chris Compston
@chriscompston.bsky.social
· May 20
Cutting Through the AI Noise
This article is a round-up of where that thinking has landed, and a reflection on why many of us are fearing being left behind.
chriscompston.substack.com
There's still a gap between what is being said about AI and what is actually happening inside most organisations.
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
A shared framework won't save a team that reads "impact" and "priority" differently and never says so out loud.
Naming that gap first is the actual work.
Mihaela Drăghici on this, a guest piece for my newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com/p/most-produ...
Naming that gap first is the actual work.
Mihaela Drăghici on this, a guest piece for my newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com/p/most-produ...
Most product frameworks fail because teams don’t share the same language
A guest post by Mihaela Drăghici
chriscompston.substack.com
August 11, 2026 at 5:49 PM
A shared framework won't save a team that reads "impact" and "priority" differently and never says so out loud.
Naming that gap first is the actual work.
Mihaela Drăghici on this, a guest piece for my newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com/p/most-produ...
Naming that gap first is the actual work.
Mihaela Drăghici on this, a guest piece for my newsletter: chriscompston.substack.com/p/most-produ...
To all the banking apps out there - you don’t need that personalised loading spinner. It’s ok.
July 31, 2026 at 8:28 PM
To all the banking apps out there - you don’t need that personalised loading spinner. It’s ok.
Having terrible handwriting is a great encryption approach
July 8, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Having terrible handwriting is a great encryption approach
I’ve been away for a couple of weeks. Is AI still a thing?
June 29, 2026 at 11:54 AM
I’ve been away for a couple of weeks. Is AI still a thing?
Is AI Profitable Yet?
isaiprofitable.com
June 18, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Accidental life motto:
“If I think, then I don’t do. If I don’t think, then I do”
“If I think, then I don’t do. If I don’t think, then I do”
May 30, 2026 at 7:24 AM
Accidental life motto:
“If I think, then I don’t do. If I don’t think, then I do”
“If I think, then I don’t do. If I don’t think, then I do”
My May Review is out!
🏴☠️ A product operating model is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Read more: chriscompston.substack.com/p/0526-may-r...
🏴☠️ A product operating model is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Read more: chriscompston.substack.com/p/0526-may-r...
05.26 May Review
🏴☠️ Most Product Transformations Don’t Stick
chriscompston.substack.com
May 29, 2026 at 5:52 PM
My May Review is out!
🏴☠️ A product operating model is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Read more: chriscompston.substack.com/p/0526-may-r...
🏴☠️ A product operating model is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Read more: chriscompston.substack.com/p/0526-may-r...
There's still a gap between what is being said about AI and what is actually happening inside most organisations.
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
Cutting Through the AI Noise
This article is a round-up of where that thinking has landed, and a reflection on why many of us are fearing being left behind.
chriscompston.substack.com
May 20, 2026 at 1:59 PM
There's still a gap between what is being said about AI and what is actually happening inside most organisations.
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
And it's wider than it should be.
Most organisations are exactly where you'd expect them to be. The noise just makes it hard to see that.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/cutting-th...
A couple of weeks ago Christine Itwaru interviewed me for The Product Heart's Spotlight series.
We talked Product Ops, clarity, why the generalist is making a comeback.
A good conversation!
www.theproductheart.com/p/tph-spotli...
We talked Product Ops, clarity, why the generalist is making a comeback.
A good conversation!
www.theproductheart.com/p/tph-spotli...
TPH Spotlight: Chris Compston
On the generalist's return, and why clarity is everything.
www.theproductheart.com
May 11, 2026 at 8:47 AM
A couple of weeks ago Christine Itwaru interviewed me for The Product Heart's Spotlight series.
We talked Product Ops, clarity, why the generalist is making a comeback.
A good conversation!
www.theproductheart.com/p/tph-spotli...
We talked Product Ops, clarity, why the generalist is making a comeback.
A good conversation!
www.theproductheart.com/p/tph-spotli...
My Monthly Review is out!
Is stakeholder management still the core of great product work, even in the age of AI?
Haleik Coleman thinks so. I'm inclined to agree.
Plus: hiring horror stories, strategic translation layers and a lot of great conversations.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/0426-april...
Is stakeholder management still the core of great product work, even in the age of AI?
Haleik Coleman thinks so. I'm inclined to agree.
Plus: hiring horror stories, strategic translation layers and a lot of great conversations.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/0426-april...
04.26 April Review
⭐️ Product Management is Stakeholder Management, Still.
chriscompston.substack.com
May 1, 2026 at 8:13 AM
My Monthly Review is out!
Is stakeholder management still the core of great product work, even in the age of AI?
Haleik Coleman thinks so. I'm inclined to agree.
Plus: hiring horror stories, strategic translation layers and a lot of great conversations.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/0426-april...
Is stakeholder management still the core of great product work, even in the age of AI?
Haleik Coleman thinks so. I'm inclined to agree.
Plus: hiring horror stories, strategic translation layers and a lot of great conversations.
chriscompston.substack.com/p/0426-april...
"We're working on AI." Cool! But, in which way??
There are at least five distinct things that phrase could mean. I wrote about them here: chriscompston.substack.com/p/five-ways-...
There are at least five distinct things that phrase could mean. I wrote about them here: chriscompston.substack.com/p/five-ways-...
Five Ways to Think About AI
Across my client work and the broader industry conversations I have, AI comes up constantly ...
chriscompston.substack.com
April 28, 2026 at 9:20 AM
"We're working on AI." Cool! But, in which way??
There are at least five distinct things that phrase could mean. I wrote about them here: chriscompston.substack.com/p/five-ways-...
There are at least five distinct things that phrase could mean. I wrote about them here: chriscompston.substack.com/p/five-ways-...
Last night was the first product event in a long time where, at the end, the host asked if anyone was looking for a new role to put their hand up … and no one did.
Turning point?
Or maybe everyone is just holding on to bad roles for fear of nt getting anything else.
Turning point?
Or maybe everyone is just holding on to bad roles for fear of nt getting anything else.
April 24, 2026 at 7:27 AM
Last night was the first product event in a long time where, at the end, the host asked if anyone was looking for a new role to put their hand up … and no one did.
Turning point?
Or maybe everyone is just holding on to bad roles for fear of nt getting anything else.
Turning point?
Or maybe everyone is just holding on to bad roles for fear of nt getting anything else.
🤔 How often do you stop to ask whether everyone means the same thing by the word that was just used?
Probably not often enough. Most of us don't! Everyone nods. Nobody checks.
Probably not often enough. Most of us don't! Everyone nods. Nobody checks.
April 21, 2026 at 1:48 PM
🤔 How often do you stop to ask whether everyone means the same thing by the word that was just used?
Probably not often enough. Most of us don't! Everyone nods. Nobody checks.
Probably not often enough. Most of us don't! Everyone nods. Nobody checks.
Explorations Finding My AI Flow State: What does a genuinely useful relationship with AI tools actually looks like in practice?
chriscompston.substack.com/p/exploratio...
chriscompston.substack.com/p/exploratio...
April 15, 2026 at 11:49 AM
Explorations Finding My AI Flow State: What does a genuinely useful relationship with AI tools actually looks like in practice?
chriscompston.substack.com/p/exploratio...
chriscompston.substack.com/p/exploratio...
“You should only employ people with AI capabilities” - person who sells AI courses.
April 10, 2026 at 7:47 AM
“You should only employ people with AI capabilities” - person who sells AI courses.
Find European tech, software, and service alternatives that respect your data sovereignty, are built with GDPR in mind, and store data in Europe.
europeantechmap.eu
europeantechmap.eu
European Tech Map | European tech alternatives
Find European tech, software, and service alternatives that respect your data sovereignty, are built with GDPR in mind, and store data in Europe.
europeantechmap.eu
March 2, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Find European tech, software, and service alternatives that respect your data sovereignty, are built with GDPR in mind, and store data in Europe.
europeantechmap.eu
europeantechmap.eu
‘Be kind, have a sense of humour, fall in love, enjoy strawberries’ - Alan Turing
February 20, 2026 at 11:49 AM
‘Be kind, have a sense of humour, fall in love, enjoy strawberries’ - Alan Turing
Celebrate the success of others as if it were your own.
January 22, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Celebrate the success of others as if it were your own.
Reposted by Chris Compston
I need to write something about pricing/value at some point.
If you're doing creative work, constraints & being scrappy often make for stronger work, but if you are paying someone else for their work or advice, paying more leads to better outcomes, because you'll pay attention and value the work.
If you're doing creative work, constraints & being scrappy often make for stronger work, but if you are paying someone else for their work or advice, paying more leads to better outcomes, because you'll pay attention and value the work.
January 15, 2026 at 3:35 PM
I need to write something about pricing/value at some point.
If you're doing creative work, constraints & being scrappy often make for stronger work, but if you are paying someone else for their work or advice, paying more leads to better outcomes, because you'll pay attention and value the work.
If you're doing creative work, constraints & being scrappy often make for stronger work, but if you are paying someone else for their work or advice, paying more leads to better outcomes, because you'll pay attention and value the work.
Phew! At least now I know what errors to correct ... oh wait
January 14, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Phew! At least now I know what errors to correct ... oh wait