No Hacks: The Mindset Behind Digital Optimization and Growth

What does life look like when search engines, junior tech jobs, and even human therapists start losing ground to generative AI? In this lightning-charged round-table, host Sani sits down with experimentation legends Erin Weigel and Lukas Vermeer to test-drive a future that’s already creeping into the present.In this episode you’ll hear:“RIP Google SERPs?”. Lukas explains why he’s stopped opening SERPs and lets ChatGPT do the leg-work instead, and what that means for SEO as a profession. Therapy by chatbot. A frank debate on the ethics of replacing licensed counselors with LLMs, complete with Erin’s tale of an AI that literally narrated its own fake empathy. The vanishing ladder. Why companies are skipping junior hires, how that starves tomorrow’s seniors, and whether YouTube “mentors” can fill the gap. Layoffs, wage pressure & the fourth AI hype-cycle. Erin argues that generative tools are becoming the C-suite’s favorite excuse to “do more with less,” accelerating job insecurity across tech. Blackout reality check. Sani recounts a one-day power failure that froze an entire city, highlighting just how thin our digital safety net really is. Off-grid plans & doom-prep kits. From Raspberry Pi LLMs to a solar-powered farmhouse in France, the crew swaps tongue-in-cheek tips for surviving an AI-augmented apocalypse. About the guestsErin Weigel is the former principal designer at Booking.com, now charting the blurry boundary between human-centered design and AI-generated “V-Zero” mock-ups.Lukas Vermeer is the ex-director of experimentation at Booking.com and Vista; known for turning data questions into live product experiments. Both Erin and Lukas started the same day at Booking.com, one of many shared origin stories they unpack. ---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

Why don’t users do what they say they’ll do? Why does great UX still fail sometimes? And what do the world’s top companies know about behavior that most of us miss?In this episode, Sani sits down with Katie Dove, behavioral designer at Irrational Labs, to break down the Three B Framework, a powerful behavioral design tool used by teams at Google, YouTube, and Duolingo. They unpack how context shapes decisions, why psychological friction is often invisible, and what it really takes to drive engagement through design.If you work in UX, CRO, product, or marketing, this episode will change how you think about user behavior forever.🔍 What we cover:Why values don’t always predict behavior (and why that’s okay)The Three B Framework: Behavior, Barriers, BenefitsThe difference between logistical and psychological frictionReal-world case studies: Google AdWords, ClassPass, Duolingo, top banksHow to identify the right behavior to optimizeThe psychology of mental models, defaults, and motivationWhy asking users what they want often leads you astrayRapid-fire insights on irrationality, app design, and moreGuest: Katie DoveBehavioral designer and partner at Irrational Labs Katie leads behavioral design projects for companies like Google, YouTube, and leading financial institutions. At Irrational Labs, she helps teams apply behavioral science to real-world digital products and services.🔗 IrrationalLabs.com 🔗 Follow Katie on LinkedIn---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

Omar Lovert, an email marketing expert known for his customer-centric strategies, shares insights on transforming email campaigns through a deep understanding of customers. He highlights the importance of real customer insights over AI-generated content and discusses RFM segmentation to identify valuable users. Listeners learn how to craft tailored marketing messages and enhance retention by focusing on customer behavior. Omar emphasizes human connection in marketing, advocating for personalization in an increasingly automated world.

Heads-up: I use some salty language. Nothing hateful, just passionate about this topic. Skip if that’s not your vibe.It’s 2 AM, your side-project just went viral, and the signup flow is on fire. Do you keep “vibe-coding” blind prompts, or step up as the conductor who actually knows the score? In this first-ever solo episode, I unpack why “anyone can code with AI” is 2025’s biggest myth and show you how to turn large language models into the ultimate co-pilot instead of a ticking time-bomb.Key TakeawaysIllusions break at scale. Vibe-coding can get you an MVP, but you’ll pay interest when production fires start.Your new super-power isn’t “no knowledge,” it’s “faster knowledge.” LLMs shrink the gap between “I don’t know” and “I can ship.”Learning beats prompting. Prompting is great, prompt-and-probe is better. Use back-and-forth to understand, not just generate.Career moat = curiosity. The people who thrive next year aren’t the ones with the fanciest prompts; they’re the ones who ask better questions and close their gaps daily.7-Day Knowledge-Gap ChallengePick one concept you avoid (CSS Flexbox? Indexing in Postgres?).Spend 15 min/day grilling an LLM: “Explain it like I’m 7… now show real-world code… now debug this snippet…”Log what surprised you, then share your aha momentsCall to ActionTry the challenge. Tag me with your progress by next week.Rate & Review. If this episode saved you from a 2 AM meltdown, drop a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on your favorite app.Share. Forward the LinkedIn post or the episode link to one builder who still thinks vibe-coding is a strategy.---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

Matt Gershoff, CEO and Co-founder of Conductrics, dives into the realm of privacy-first experimentation. He shares a quirky story about his journey, including a summer school featuring donkeys in pajamas! The discussion touches on the drawbacks of data hoarding and the necessity of data minimalism. Gershoff emphasizes intentional experimentation and the ethical implications of data practices, urging businesses to focus on meaningful data collection. He also explores the challenges of managing data in the age of AI, promoting thoughtful decision-making.

Is content marketing finally dead? In this no-BS conversation, I’m joined by digital strategist Jono Alderson to unpack the new reality of SEO, content, and how Google’s evolution is leaving traditional marketing behind.Jono explains why so much content is now obsolete, how search is changing with AI, and why the only real path forward is to be more human, more trustworthy, and more brand-driven than ever before.🔥 What We Talk About:00:00 – Is content marketing dead? Jono kicks off with a bang. 00:46 – “Solved query spaces” and why Google doesn’t need your blog posts anymore. 02:46 – The AI-powered future of search: recipes, risottos, and synthetic content. 04:55 – What actually still works: EEAT, branding, and building trust. 07:45 – The ironic truth: in the age of AI, being human is your biggest asset.🧠 Key Takeaways:Why pumping out blog posts is no longer a growth strategyWhat “solved query spaces” mean for your SEO futureWhy Google’s zero-click answers are here to stayHow to compete through trust, brand, and true expertiseWhy your best marketing move might be… local radio?🔗 Links:Jono's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonoalderson/---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

In this episode of No Hacks, host Sani is joined by technical SEO strategist Anne Berlin to explore one of the most disturbing and fascinating topics on the web today: the Dead Internet Theory. Is most of what we see online actually created by bots, for bots? What happens when the web becomes a wasteland of AI-generated slop and abandoned digital ruins? Anne draws on her extensive experience analyzing crawl logs, server stats, and digital infrastructure to reveal how bot traffic is outpacing real users, and what that means for the future of human-centric content.If you’ve ever wondered why the web feels “off” these days, this one’s for you.👤 About the Guest: Anne BerlinAnne Berlin is a Lead Product Strategist and Senior Technical SEO at Lumar, with over a decade of experience in digital strategy, enterprise SEO, and content performance optimization. Anne specializes in high-scale technical audits, crawl budget efficiency, and structured data for large websites, including e-commerce and news publishing giants. She’s a passionate advocate for reclaiming the human web and brings a cross-disciplinary lens to digital decay, combining SEO, DevOps, and sustainability insights.She's previously led digital strategy for organizations like Kaplan and the Lupus Foundation of America and holds a Master’s from Georgetown University.⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – What is the Dead Internet Theory?00:24 – The rise of bots: from content creation to consumption01:04 – How bots degrade user experience01:44 – Why most web pages are unread by humans02:25 – From Geocities to AI slop: the lost human web03:06 – Budget cuts and digital burnout04:01 – The hidden energy cost of web inefficiencies05:37 – Cross-functional SEO: solving crawl waste06:33 – One endpoint, a transatlantic flight's worth of carbon07:25 – 60% of web traffic is non-human08:01 – Are we too late to save the web?09:42 – Join the crusade: building a human-led internet✅ Key TakeawaysDead Internet Theory suggests that bots, not humans, dominate the web today—both as content creators and consumers.Anne estimates 60% of web traffic is bot-based, with only 40% appearing human.Many web pages are published without ever being seen by a human, often as part of programmatic SEO.Neglected code and crawl bloat have energy and environmental costs, with one exposed endpoint equating to a transatlantic flight in carbon emissions.The solution lies in cross-training and collaboration across SEO, DevOps, infrastructure, and security to reduce digital inefficiencies and prioritize meaningful content.Anne advocates for a return to a human-first web, where real people matter more than algorithms.---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

Growth doesn’t have to mean being everywhere at once or chasing every shiny new tactic.In this episode of No Hacks, I talk with Ward van Gasteren — one of Europe’s first growth hackers — about how to grow smarter, not louder. Ward shares his go-to method for helping early-stage startups: the 1-1-1 Framework — one audience, one channel, one message.We dig into how founders and product teams can stop spreading themselves too thin, avoid early-stage overwhelm, and finally find traction through focus. Ward explains the difference between growth and traditional marketing, how to approach experimentation, and why most companies waste time on strategies that don’t serve their stage.Whether you’re building a company, a product, or even a podcast — this conversation will help you cut through the noise and grow with clarity.Topics Covered:How to stop doing too much and focus on what worksThe 1-1-1 Framework for early-stage clarityWhy founders waste time on channels that aren’t readyThe role of experimentation beyond A/B testingChoosing the right growth metrics and north starWhy organic social is rarely a growth engineBuilding scalable systems after early tractionAI’s impact on speed (but not necessarily quality)How podcast growth follows the same principles as startup growthAbout the Guest:Ward van Gasteren is a growth consultant and one of Europe’s first professional growth hackers. Through his platform Grow with Ward, he helps early-stage startups create growth strategies that actually work — without burning out in the process.Ward has worked with companies across industries to simplify how they think about growth, run smarter experiments, and scale what’s already working. His 1-1-1 Framework has helped founders build real traction by focusing on the right things — not everything.Timestamps:00:00:00 – What does a growth consultant really do?00:06:07 – Breaking down the 1-1-1 Framework: one audience, one channel, one message00:10:27 – Brand-building vs. selling: when organic social actually helps00:15:30 – Ward’s favorite growth tool (and why he’d ditch GA4)00:20:07 – Growth vs. Marketing: different teams, different goals00:25:08 – How AI tools help with speed, but not necessarily with strategy00:30:24 – Getting honest customer feedback and applying “The Mom Test”00:35:16 – Ward’s growth program and where to follow his workConnect with Ward: → Website: https://growwithward.com → LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wardvangasteren/---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram

In this discussion, Sam Barber, a senior experimentation specialist, shares insights on driving change through digital experimentation. He emphasizes the importance of building a support network within organizations to win over skeptics. Barber explains effective communication strategies to showcase the value of experimentation beyond mere test results. He introduces the 'force field' method for mapping influence and stresses the significance of aligning with other teams’ goals. His key advice? 'If you don’t shout, they won’t know you exist!'

You’ve probably heard “go-to-market” thrown around like it’s just a product launch. But it’s way more than that — and today’s guest breaks it all down with clarity, energy, and zero fluff.In this episode, I sit down with Maja Voje, an internationally recognized go-to-market strategist who’s worked with over 750 companies, including global giants like Google, Bayer, and Rocket Internet. We unpack what makes GTM actually work, why focus beats scale, how to find your earliest adopters, and how AI is changing everything — fast.Whether you’re building something from scratch or scaling a proven product, this episode will reshape how you think about launching, growing, and repeating success.About the GuestMaja Voje is a globally sought-after go-to-market strategist, best-selling author of GTM Strategist, and founder of Growth Lab. With over a decade of hands-on experience, she’s helped 750+ companies — from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 firms — build repeatable, scalable growth systems.She co-teaches one of the most popular online growth courses (used by teams at Tesla, IBM, and Booking.com), and her GTM templates and playbooks have helped thousands of businesses get to product-market fit faster. Maja is also a keynote speaker and was named Female Role Model of the Year in 2018.Key TakeawaysGo-to-market isn’t just launch day — it’s an ongoing, strategic system.Focus > Scale: Narrow, repeatable systems beat brute force and ad spend.Understand the difference between early customer profile (ECP) and ideal customer profile (ICP).Why AI is a superpower for research, messaging, and GTM — if you use it right.Common GTM mistakes that waste time, money, and team morale.How to avoid "shiny object syndrome" and stay focused on what actually moves the needle.Chapters & Timestamps[00:00:00] Welcome & Episode Start[00:00:15] Maja’s origin story in marketing and startups[00:03:06] The accidental path to growth hacking[00:04:53] What go-to-market actually means[00:08:29] Why GTM is not just a launch[00:10:19] How fast-moving markets force constant GTM updates[00:12:57] First mover advantage vs. fast follower strategy[00:19:39] Why companies resist GTM adaptability[00:25:10] Rapid-fire GTM questions[00:31:25] The role of early adopters and how to find them[00:35:17] Beachhead segment strategy (and WWII analogies)[00:39:23] AI’s impact on go-to-market — good and bad[00:48:04] Creativity, content, and where AI falls short[00:50:43] Where to find more from Maja & closing thoughtsLinks & ResourcesMaja’s Go-To-Market Power Hour TemplateSign up for her newsletterConnect with Maja on LinkedIn---If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!No Hacks websiteYouTubeLinkedInInstagram