Steve McLeod
@steveofmcleod.com
Buy my book! "Kill the HiPPO: How bootstrapped software companies decide what feature to build next."
Find it at killthehippo.com or on Amazon.
My personal site: steveofmcleod.com
Find it at killthehippo.com or on Amazon.
My personal site: steveofmcleod.com
How’s your Wednesday evening? Oh really! Well good for you.
Meanwhile I’m at a birthday party for THREE seven-year-olds. In a room that seems designed to amplify every cry, shout, and scream.
Meanwhile I’m at a birthday party for THREE seven-year-olds. In a room that seems designed to amplify every cry, shout, and scream.
September 16, 2026 at 4:49 PM
How’s your Wednesday evening? Oh really! Well good for you.
Meanwhile I’m at a birthday party for THREE seven-year-olds. In a room that seems designed to amplify every cry, shout, and scream.
Meanwhile I’m at a birthday party for THREE seven-year-olds. In a room that seems designed to amplify every cry, shout, and scream.
Surprising fact about Barcelona: it still had multiple shantytowns in the 1980’s. As in utter poverty, no running water, destroyed in every strong storm - that type of shanty town.
Lukewarm take:
I feel a lot of pessimism about the present is built on not realizing just how bad the past was. Like if you just read a book about poverty in a first-world country in the 1950s it's staggeringly worse than now.
I feel a lot of pessimism about the present is built on not realizing just how bad the past was. Like if you just read a book about poverty in a first-world country in the 1950s it's staggeringly worse than now.
September 15, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Surprising fact about Barcelona: it still had multiple shantytowns in the 1980’s. As in utter poverty, no running water, destroyed in every strong storm - that type of shanty town.
It’s Kill the HiPPO newsletter day!
Here’s how I would have launched Kill the HiPPO - if I had known then what I’ve learned over the last few months about launching a self-published nonfiction book.
killthehippo.com/posts/a-self...
Here’s how I would have launched Kill the HiPPO - if I had known then what I’ve learned over the last few months about launching a self-published nonfiction book.
killthehippo.com/posts/a-self...
A self-published book launch done right
killthehippo.com
September 15, 2026 at 9:43 AM
It’s Kill the HiPPO newsletter day!
Here’s how I would have launched Kill the HiPPO - if I had known then what I’ve learned over the last few months about launching a self-published nonfiction book.
killthehippo.com/posts/a-self...
Here’s how I would have launched Kill the HiPPO - if I had known then what I’ve learned over the last few months about launching a self-published nonfiction book.
killthehippo.com/posts/a-self...
A marketing-heavy week ahead of me: time to gird myself for doing a bunch of tasks I don’t particularly enjoy doing.
September 14, 2026 at 8:44 AM
A marketing-heavy week ahead of me: time to gird myself for doing a bunch of tasks I don’t particularly enjoy doing.
Proud to say that I’m in the acknowledgements in this book!
Congratulations (in advance) on the launch @valmullally.bsky.social
Congratulations (in advance) on the launch @valmullally.bsky.social
What happens when someone feels truly heard?
Join me @onlinevents.bsky.social - celebrating launch of 'The Heart of Listening' 📚 & explore how heart-centred listening can transform our professional practice. 14 Sept | 1–2pm BST | Online
#HeartOfListening #SuperVision #DeepListening #BookLaunch
Join me @onlinevents.bsky.social - celebrating launch of 'The Heart of Listening' 📚 & explore how heart-centred listening can transform our professional practice. 14 Sept | 1–2pm BST | Online
#HeartOfListening #SuperVision #DeepListening #BookLaunch
September 11, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Proud to say that I’m in the acknowledgements in this book!
Congratulations (in advance) on the launch @valmullally.bsky.social
Congratulations (in advance) on the launch @valmullally.bsky.social
The curse of the coding industry: coders are so black and white in their views.
Tabs! No, spaces!
Vim! No, Emacs!
And lately, Tailwind GREAT! No, Tailwind AWFUL!
It’s tiring and unhelpful.
My own view about Tailwind: it’s okay - some pros, some cons, good in some situations, not good in others.
Tabs! No, spaces!
Vim! No, Emacs!
And lately, Tailwind GREAT! No, Tailwind AWFUL!
It’s tiring and unhelpful.
My own view about Tailwind: it’s okay - some pros, some cons, good in some situations, not good in others.
September 11, 2026 at 10:25 AM
The curse of the coding industry: coders are so black and white in their views.
Tabs! No, spaces!
Vim! No, Emacs!
And lately, Tailwind GREAT! No, Tailwind AWFUL!
It’s tiring and unhelpful.
My own view about Tailwind: it’s okay - some pros, some cons, good in some situations, not good in others.
Tabs! No, spaces!
Vim! No, Emacs!
And lately, Tailwind GREAT! No, Tailwind AWFUL!
It’s tiring and unhelpful.
My own view about Tailwind: it’s okay - some pros, some cons, good in some situations, not good in others.
“Keep It Simple” is sometimes not that simple at all.
This week I combined 3 UI components in Feature Upvote into one custom component.
It required replacing 3 native HTML controls with a custom one, making things more complicated to maintain, but easier to use.
This week I combined 3 UI components in Feature Upvote into one custom component.
It required replacing 3 native HTML controls with a custom one, making things more complicated to maintain, but easier to use.
September 11, 2026 at 10:19 AM
“Keep It Simple” is sometimes not that simple at all.
This week I combined 3 UI components in Feature Upvote into one custom component.
It required replacing 3 native HTML controls with a custom one, making things more complicated to maintain, but easier to use.
This week I combined 3 UI components in Feature Upvote into one custom component.
It required replacing 3 native HTML controls with a custom one, making things more complicated to maintain, but easier to use.
One of the fun things about preparing for SOC 2: inflation of everyone’s titles.
My little team now has - amongst others - a designated Head of Infra, CISO, Head of Compliance, and Head of HR.
We are all wearing multiple hats, of course.
My little team now has - amongst others - a designated Head of Infra, CISO, Head of Compliance, and Head of HR.
We are all wearing multiple hats, of course.
September 10, 2026 at 4:50 PM
One of the fun things about preparing for SOC 2: inflation of everyone’s titles.
My little team now has - amongst others - a designated Head of Infra, CISO, Head of Compliance, and Head of HR.
We are all wearing multiple hats, of course.
My little team now has - amongst others - a designated Head of Infra, CISO, Head of Compliance, and Head of HR.
We are all wearing multiple hats, of course.
I have been sitting on this news for a while and I’m really proud to finally share it:
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) from ZeniMax Online Studios is officially is using Feature Upvote to manage player feedback!
ESO is a huge game. It’s been running for 12 years.
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) from ZeniMax Online Studios is officially is using Feature Upvote to manage player feedback!
ESO is a huge game. It’s been running for 12 years.
September 10, 2026 at 7:52 AM
I have been sitting on this news for a while and I’m really proud to finally share it:
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) from ZeniMax Online Studios is officially is using Feature Upvote to manage player feedback!
ESO is a huge game. It’s been running for 12 years.
The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) from ZeniMax Online Studios is officially is using Feature Upvote to manage player feedback!
ESO is a huge game. It’s been running for 12 years.
Not only is this awesome, I recognised Elle from something...
Took me a while to work out. (By “a while” I mean, of course, “a quick Google search”)
It’s her in this astoundingly good cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fdw...
Took me a while to work out. (By “a while” I mean, of course, “a quick Google search”)
It’s her in this astoundingly good cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fdw...
September 9, 2026 at 9:36 AM
Not only is this awesome, I recognised Elle from something...
Took me a while to work out. (By “a while” I mean, of course, “a quick Google search”)
It’s her in this astoundingly good cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fdw...
Took me a while to work out. (By “a while” I mean, of course, “a quick Google search”)
It’s her in this astoundingly good cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fdw...
SOC 2: the bad side
Having to get each person on the Feature Upvote team to read and acknowledge our 34 different policies I created to get ready for our first SOC 2 audit.
I _hated_ having to do this stuff when I was an employee. And here I am foisting it onto my team. 🤷♂️
Having to get each person on the Feature Upvote team to read and acknowledge our 34 different policies I created to get ready for our first SOC 2 audit.
I _hated_ having to do this stuff when I was an employee. And here I am foisting it onto my team. 🤷♂️
September 9, 2026 at 9:19 AM
SOC 2: the bad side
Having to get each person on the Feature Upvote team to read and acknowledge our 34 different policies I created to get ready for our first SOC 2 audit.
I _hated_ having to do this stuff when I was an employee. And here I am foisting it onto my team. 🤷♂️
Having to get each person on the Feature Upvote team to read and acknowledge our 34 different policies I created to get ready for our first SOC 2 audit.
I _hated_ having to do this stuff when I was an employee. And here I am foisting it onto my team. 🤷♂️
A friend has just finished writing and self-publishing her book, and has switched to marketing mode.
She’s done this a few times before, and it shows - she’s doing the initial marketing much better than I did for my book - even a virtual launch party.
She’s done this a few times before, and it shows - she’s doing the initial marketing much better than I did for my book - even a virtual launch party.
September 9, 2026 at 7:40 AM
A friend has just finished writing and self-publishing her book, and has switched to marketing mode.
She’s done this a few times before, and it shows - she’s doing the initial marketing much better than I did for my book - even a virtual launch party.
She’s done this a few times before, and it shows - she’s doing the initial marketing much better than I did for my book - even a virtual launch party.
Google behaving worse than even Ryanair:
The choice that says $0.15/month is actually $2.99/month.
And the amazing $0/month plan is actually $32.99.
Everyone involved surely knows this is deceptive.
“But it converts better this way,” I’m sure some weaselly PM pleads.
The choice that says $0.15/month is actually $2.99/month.
And the amazing $0/month plan is actually $32.99.
Everyone involved surely knows this is deceptive.
“But it converts better this way,” I’m sure some weaselly PM pleads.
September 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Google behaving worse than even Ryanair:
The choice that says $0.15/month is actually $2.99/month.
And the amazing $0/month plan is actually $32.99.
Everyone involved surely knows this is deceptive.
“But it converts better this way,” I’m sure some weaselly PM pleads.
The choice that says $0.15/month is actually $2.99/month.
And the amazing $0/month plan is actually $32.99.
Everyone involved surely knows this is deceptive.
“But it converts better this way,” I’m sure some weaselly PM pleads.
After 11 weeks and 1 day my daughter is back at school.
The relief. The quiet apartment. The desire to do nothing for a few hours.
The relief. The quiet apartment. The desire to do nothing for a few hours.
September 8, 2026 at 8:25 AM
After 11 weeks and 1 day my daughter is back at school.
The relief. The quiet apartment. The desire to do nothing for a few hours.
The relief. The quiet apartment. The desire to do nothing for a few hours.
The “yearly subscription, paid monthly” option is a “dark pattern”, right?
Designed to trick tired, confused people into picking what seems like the cheap option into agreeing to pay each month for 12 months.
And of course, big tech companies show NO hesitation in using this.
Designed to trick tired, confused people into picking what seems like the cheap option into agreeing to pay each month for 12 months.
And of course, big tech companies show NO hesitation in using this.
September 7, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The “yearly subscription, paid monthly” option is a “dark pattern”, right?
Designed to trick tired, confused people into picking what seems like the cheap option into agreeing to pay each month for 12 months.
And of course, big tech companies show NO hesitation in using this.
Designed to trick tired, confused people into picking what seems like the cheap option into agreeing to pay each month for 12 months.
And of course, big tech companies show NO hesitation in using this.
Another Monday morning, another list of Dependabot vulnerability alerts to triage.
This is a Very Good Thing - the software we all create and use is getting a lot more secure a lot faster.
This is a Very Good Thing - the software we all create and use is getting a lot more secure a lot faster.
September 7, 2026 at 8:45 AM
Another Monday morning, another list of Dependabot vulnerability alerts to triage.
This is a Very Good Thing - the software we all create and use is getting a lot more secure a lot faster.
This is a Very Good Thing - the software we all create and use is getting a lot more secure a lot faster.
I bought CleanShot X on February 11, 2021 for US$29.
Since then I’ve used it almost daily.
And all updates have been free.
Finally, they’ve realised this is not a good business model.
There’s a chapter in my book about a company that almost went bankrupt learning the same lesson.
Since then I’ve used it almost daily.
And all updates have been free.
Finally, they’ve realised this is not a good business model.
There’s a chapter in my book about a company that almost went bankrupt learning the same lesson.
September 5, 2026 at 9:04 AM
I bought CleanShot X on February 11, 2021 for US$29.
Since then I’ve used it almost daily.
And all updates have been free.
Finally, they’ve realised this is not a good business model.
There’s a chapter in my book about a company that almost went bankrupt learning the same lesson.
Since then I’ve used it almost daily.
And all updates have been free.
Finally, they’ve realised this is not a good business model.
There’s a chapter in my book about a company that almost went bankrupt learning the same lesson.
Possibly the best thing I’ve ever written on Bluesky (as judged by me!) and it got barely any love.
Trying to explain to my daughter that in the Noughties we were so poor we couldn’t afford emojis.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
September 5, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Possibly the best thing I’ve ever written on Bluesky (as judged by me!) and it got barely any love.
Trying to explain to my daughter that in the Noughties we were so poor we couldn’t afford emojis.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
September 4, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Trying to explain to my daughter that in the Noughties we were so poor we couldn’t afford emojis.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
We had to use letters, numbers and punctuation instead to make little figures we called emoticons.
She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying.
1password: “you have some users on the old version. you need to move them to the new version.”
Also 1password, “to tell you who is using the old version, you need to pay us more money to enable our ‘reports’ feature.”
🤷♂️
Our team is small enough, I can simply ask everybody.
Also 1password, “to tell you who is using the old version, you need to pay us more money to enable our ‘reports’ feature.”
🤷♂️
Our team is small enough, I can simply ask everybody.
September 4, 2026 at 3:52 PM
1password: “you have some users on the old version. you need to move them to the new version.”
Also 1password, “to tell you who is using the old version, you need to pay us more money to enable our ‘reports’ feature.”
🤷♂️
Our team is small enough, I can simply ask everybody.
Also 1password, “to tell you who is using the old version, you need to pay us more money to enable our ‘reports’ feature.”
🤷♂️
Our team is small enough, I can simply ask everybody.
I wonder how things are in 2026 in the internal IT departments of banks where I used to work 15+ years ago.
Have they also been tainted with the AI hype? With their security, trust, and compliance requirements?
Or are they still doing things the old school way?
Anyone know?
Have they also been tainted with the AI hype? With their security, trust, and compliance requirements?
Or are they still doing things the old school way?
Anyone know?
September 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I wonder how things are in 2026 in the internal IT departments of banks where I used to work 15+ years ago.
Have they also been tainted with the AI hype? With their security, trust, and compliance requirements?
Or are they still doing things the old school way?
Anyone know?
Have they also been tainted with the AI hype? With their security, trust, and compliance requirements?
Or are they still doing things the old school way?
Anyone know?
I’ve been running the same SaaS product for 9 years. It’s a long time - way longer than my need for novelty normally allows.
That led me get distracted with other things: writing a book, coaching.
I’m now going back to focusing on just the one thing.
That led me get distracted with other things: writing a book, coaching.
I’m now going back to focusing on just the one thing.
September 3, 2026 at 2:41 PM
I’ve been running the same SaaS product for 9 years. It’s a long time - way longer than my need for novelty normally allows.
That led me get distracted with other things: writing a book, coaching.
I’m now going back to focusing on just the one thing.
That led me get distracted with other things: writing a book, coaching.
I’m now going back to focusing on just the one thing.
A 24-week streak of posting to our company socials (and our posts are much better than they used to be, too).
Not coincidentally, Julia, our Content Marketing Manager, has been working with us for 24 weeks 😀
(Likewise, our newsletters have become more regular and better.)
Not coincidentally, Julia, our Content Marketing Manager, has been working with us for 24 weeks 😀
(Likewise, our newsletters have become more regular and better.)
September 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
A 24-week streak of posting to our company socials (and our posts are much better than they used to be, too).
Not coincidentally, Julia, our Content Marketing Manager, has been working with us for 24 weeks 😀
(Likewise, our newsletters have become more regular and better.)
Not coincidentally, Julia, our Content Marketing Manager, has been working with us for 24 weeks 😀
(Likewise, our newsletters have become more regular and better.)
My little 9-year old SaaS has lifetime uptime of 99.98% - and creeping higher every year.
In 9 years., we‘ve had 3 or 4 scheduled downtime windows for maintenance, each time for an hour max, for the rare db work that was just too complex to do in a zero-downtime way.
In 9 years., we‘ve had 3 or 4 scheduled downtime windows for maintenance, each time for an hour max, for the rare db work that was just too complex to do in a zero-downtime way.
Still find it so wild that SO MANY European banks schedule 1-2x per month 4-8 hour maintenance windows between 10pm-6am local time.
INSTEAD of biting the bullet and learning how to do zero downtime migrations & infra upgrades
Devs pull all-nighters instead + learn nothing about modern engineering
INSTEAD of biting the bullet and learning how to do zero downtime migrations & infra upgrades
Devs pull all-nighters instead + learn nothing about modern engineering
September 2, 2026 at 1:20 PM
My little 9-year old SaaS has lifetime uptime of 99.98% - and creeping higher every year.
In 9 years., we‘ve had 3 or 4 scheduled downtime windows for maintenance, each time for an hour max, for the rare db work that was just too complex to do in a zero-downtime way.
In 9 years., we‘ve had 3 or 4 scheduled downtime windows for maintenance, each time for an hour max, for the rare db work that was just too complex to do in a zero-downtime way.
A new Kill the HiPPO newsletter.
In which I share my story of fighting against Spanish culture - by actually trying to get things done during August.
Spanish culture - of course - won the fight.
killthehippo.com/posts/your-p...
In which I share my story of fighting against Spanish culture - by actually trying to get things done during August.
Spanish culture - of course - won the fight.
killthehippo.com/posts/your-p...
Your product delivery plan versus reality
killthehippo.com
September 1, 2026 at 10:17 AM
A new Kill the HiPPO newsletter.
In which I share my story of fighting against Spanish culture - by actually trying to get things done during August.
Spanish culture - of course - won the fight.
killthehippo.com/posts/your-p...
In which I share my story of fighting against Spanish culture - by actually trying to get things done during August.
Spanish culture - of course - won the fight.
killthehippo.com/posts/your-p...