It’s true. And honestly, it’s overdue.
I wrote the original when “digital transformation” and “design-led” were still being sold as something that happened to organizations. The book came out three weeks after the world shut down. And while it was highly relevant for those years, it is sorely in need of an upgrade.
AI has set every playbook on fire, and designers are either getting cast aside or nodding politely to save their jobs while someone explains why we can't afford research but can definitely afford to burn through tokens generating bugs and hallucinations.
Nope.
This isn't the same book with AI sprinkled in. It’s a rewiring. Because “thinking” about business was never enough. Waiting around and hoping business will appreciate design has always been a fool's errand. Strategy without action is cute, but it will not influence change.
It's about finding leverage and creating new advantages by knowing what to look for. Not vibe coding or creating PRDs for the sake of it, but making confident decisions with incomplete information. (Spoiler: it's always been incomplete. Now there's just more of it to deal with.)
Fair warning: I’m considering a title change that reflects these shifts. Something in the spirit of zines and mail art movements — direct, urgent and unpolished in the best way.* Because designers can no longer afford to just think about business. We need more designers who unapologetically drive it.
If you had the expanded version today, what would you be able to do tomorrow?
Let me know in the comments.
