Product · AI · Systems thinking

Are you solving for the right problem?

I write about the questions that get squeezed out when everyone's moving fast — on product, AI, and how to understand the space you're working with.

Read the writing Who do you think you are? →
Three ideas that shape how I look at most things
PROBLEM SOLVE
01
The problem space
Knowing where you are on the problem-to-solution spectrum changes everything about how you work.
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02
Systems thinking
Every black box is a set of choices someone made a long time ago, for conditions that no longer apply.
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03
Tracking results
Success metrics are a thinking tool — reach for them before the thinking is done.
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Featured writing
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Systems thinking
Is AI Hiding Our Failure Modes?
AI is making it easier than ever to build things that look like they work. The failure modes are still there. We just can't see them anymore.
May 27, 2026  ·  6 min read
Tracking results
What Is a KPI and How Do You Determine Them?
KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. Most people know the acronym. Fewer people pay attention to what the word "key" is actually doing in that phrase.
May 17, 2026  ·  5 min
About Me
John Irving
Product and systems thinker. Background in information systems. Spent most of a career inside startups watching smart people move fast in the wrong direction.
ProductAISystems
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The premise
"Irving Space is not a personal brand play. It's not a portfolio. It's a place to navigate through ideas, because exploring is how I figure out what I actually believe." — John Irving