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#81: I spent 3 months at an AI-native startup where every role ships code | James Dillard (Product Leader, ex-Stripe & YouTube)

Oct 27, 2025
James Dillard, a product leader formerly with YouTube and Stripe, shares his insights from three months at Roo Code, an AI-native startup. He reveals how a 10-person team redefines coding norms, with every member contributing to the codebase regardless of role. Dillard discusses overcoming initial fears in coding, the evolution of pull request workflows with AI, and the integration of customer insights into rapid prototypes. He emphasizes the importance of training and experimentation for organizations looking to adopt an AI-native approach.
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INSIGHT

AI Agents With Less Permission Friction

  • Roo Code built agents that ask for permission far less and let AI take more responsibility for coding tasks.
  • This model requires rethinking team structure because non-engineers regularly ship production code.
ANECDOTE

Everyone On A 10-Person Team Ships Code

  • At Roo Code a 10-person team included engineers, designers, product, community and marketing people all committing code.
  • James, a product/GTM person, contributed to the VS Code extension, web app, and docs during his externship.
ADVICE

Onboard By Letting PRs Be Conversations

  • Expect a learning curve and let your team reject pull requests as part of onboarding; treat PRs as conversation starters.
  • Give newcomers low-risk tasks and let them iterate until they build confidence.
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