Just because you can build something doesn't mean you should.
I think about this constantly and it's the hardest thing to keep myself accountable to.
In my previous startups (back in the pre-Claude era), every line of code, every sprint, every feature was a trade-off. We didn't have the luxury of building everything. Every "yes" to one thing was a "no" to something else.
Looking back, that constraint was actually a gift. It forced judgment. It forced ruthless prioritisation.
With the rise of AI coding the barrier to building is basically gone and that constraint is disappearing. People are whipping up prototypes in an afternoon or two.
It feels like a superpower and it sounds like progress. But it's made the skill of knowing what not to build more important than ever.
What's actually worth solving? What should be bought, not built? What looks like progress but is actually distraction?
If you're starting a software project or any business for that matter, dedicate time to training this muscle — because restraint is a superpower when everything is possible.
If you're a founder trying to figure out what's worth building and what isn't, this is exactly the kind of strategic thinking I work through with early-stage teams.