Episode 01|04/30/26
Shiv Bagavathy
He rebuilt a $610M app in a weekend.
Writing code stopped being the hard part. The skill now is designing the systems you use to verify what the machines wrote.
The Guest
Shiv BagavathyEngineer & Builder
Engineer, builder, and tinkerer. Shiv works across the full stack and has a thing for pushing tools to their limits.
The Stack Monitor — 16 tools
Hover for notesWeb Browsers
4
ArcSpaces, separation, distraction-free mode — the shortcut that keeps me from going back.— Shiv
DiaOne of three browsers I keep open. Each one's there for a different reason.— Shiv
ChromeStill in the mix. I run Arc, Dia, and Chrome side by side.— Shiv- The Browser Company sold for $610M. I rebuilt the AI layer I actually wanted in a weekend.— ShivAAsterysk
IDE Tools
5
CursorIn rotation with Windsurf and Claude Code. I don't trust any single agent.— Shiv
WindsurfWhichever one's sharp that day. Writing code isn't the hard part anymore.— Shiv
Claude CodeI pin it against Codex on the same problem and only read the diff once they've argued.— Shiv- Still in the IDE list. The skill now is verifying what the machines wrote.— ShivTTerminal
VS CodeThe old reliable, still open when the new tools get cute.— Shiv
Task Management
3
CodexFirst thing I run is a skill I wrote called $today — top three Linear tasks and waiting GitHub reviews.— Shiv
Apple RemindersI tried every to-do app. This is the one that stuck.— Shiv- A physical notecard I carry. The real thinking happens before the editor.— ShivPPaper
Stack in Action
4- Old-school checklist. I sketch the idea before anything reaches the machine.— ShivNNotebook
Vercel $baseline-uiA Vercel skill that collapses hours of UI work into seconds — stress-tested on Shiv's List.— Shiv- CodexWhere the agent battles happen. I want to write the least amount of code for the same output.— Shiv
VercelWhere Shiv's List ships. Side projects are how new tools get proven.— Shiv
In Their Words
“I want to write the least amount of code to achieve the same output.”
“One of the trusting systems that I've set up for myself is I actually pin these agents against one another.”
“It's made computer science more of an art form than engineering.”