Field notes.
Real opinions about what AI is getting right and wrong for operators in 2026, written by us, in our own voice, not a content calendar. Plus the occasional teardown of something Izzy built and what it taught us.
Articles
9 Hidden Engineering Failures Behind Your AI Cost Spikes
Is your LLM bill spiraling? Discover the 9 architectural anti-patterns causing AI cost spikes and the specific engineering fixes to stop the waste.
5 Hidden Reasons Your AI Costs Are Spiraling (And How To Fix Them)
Is your LLM bill triple what you forecasted? Discover the 5 hidden drivers of AI margin erosion—from the "context tax" to zombie agents—and how to regain control.
The CTO’s Guide to Token Budgets: How to Set Per-Feature Limits & Prevent Shock Bills
Stop flying blind on AI spend. Learn the 4-step framework to set per-feature token budgets, enforce gateway limits, and prevent surprise LLM bills before they happen.
Why Your LLM Bill Doubled: 5 Hidden Cost Leaks Every CTO Misses
Flying blind on AI spend? Uncover 5 technical cost leaks from recursion traps to context taxes—that are driving your OpenAI bill up. Save 30–50% with this guide.
Build vs. Buy: The True Cost of LLM Observability (+ Free TCO Calculator)
Thinking of building your own LLM observability stack? Our 3-year analysis reveals why building costs 116x more than buying. Download the TCO calculator inside.
Prompt Management Platform Cost: Build vs. Buy Pricing Guide
Scaling your LLMs? Discover what a prompt management platform costs ($500 to $25,000+/mo), hidden TCO factors, and the real math of building vs. buying.
Field notes, in your inbox
One email per week. No content calendar — just what we’re building, what broke, and what we changed our minds about.
Operator Stack
The free community where we continue these conversations between posts.
Join free