Good mental model. Hadn't thought about it this way before. Seems obvious.
Early iPhone apps had to “earn permission” by looking familiar. Fake bookshelf, fake paper pages, fake compass, etc., until users became more comfortable with the new form factor.
We're currently in this same skeuomorphic phase with AI + software, trying to contort stuff to fit old shapes.
How many startups are actually just an .md file?
@theo at @aiDotEngineer.
https://t.co/evXP4GUeR3
Also appreciate that AIE platforms the more unhinged speakers, and that Theo used the ghetto slide deck. Ty ty.
References
- Original post on X · 2026-07-09