First of Kind

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@firstofkind

First of Kind is the story of design and tech told by its pioneers • Powered by @framer @bot @vercel @profound @noondesign @tryramp @meetgranola

California firstofkind.com Joined December 2025

32 Following 4.4K Followers 231 Posts

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First of Kind @firstofkind 4d

Can a designer-founder win the VC game by ignoring all of its rules?

Season 3, Episode 3 is here:
How @karrisaarinen built @linear to win through quality above all else – now available on 𝕏, YouTube, and Instagram

Powered by @framer @noondesign @bot @tryramp @vercel @meetgranola @profound

00:00 Winning by Your Own Rules
03:12 Quality Is Directional
06:24 Do You Design in Code?
15:45 Owning the Problem
22:45 Beyond the Issue Tracker
26:36 The Bull Case for Design
28:45 Do We Still Need UI?
33:02 The Car Designer of Software
37:37 School Feels Fake
40:59 Never Build the MVP
43:56 Clarity of Scope
45:37 Linear Recalibrates the Palate

Hosted by @soleio and coproduced with @Room3NYC

45:40

First of Kind @firstofkind 7h

“I think you can learn a lot about a person by how they arrange flowers.” @soleio opines.

@karrisaarinen then explains the more practical way @linear evaluates designers instead.

Full episode of HOW WE WIN: x.com/soleio/status/…

0:30

Soleio Verified account @soleio 3d

First of Kind: The @karrisaarinen interview

Can a designer-founder win the VC game ignoring all its rules?

Karri Saarinen’s uncompromising and distinct approach to quality has made him an iconic designer/CEO. Will that same playbook hold up in the agentic age?

00:00 Winning by Your Own Rules
03:12 Quality Is Directional
06:24 Do You Design in Code?
15:45 Owning the Problem
22:45 Beyond the Issue Tracker
26:36 The Bull Case for Design
28:45 Do We Still Need UI?
33:02 The Car Designer of Software
37:37 School Feels Fake
40:59 Never Build the MVP
43:56 Clarity of Scope
45:37 Linear Recalibrates the Palate

—
Karri Saarinen: How We Win
First of Kind S3 E03

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First of Kind @firstofkind 11h

“Refusing to instrument your software is willful ignorance!”

@soleio and @karrisaarinen debate flying by the dials versus looking out the window, and why most companies fatally pick one.

Full episode of HOW WE WIN: x.com/soleio/status/…

0:40

Soleio Verified account @soleio 3d

First of Kind: The @karrisaarinen interview

Can a designer-founder win the VC game ignoring all its rules?

Karri Saarinen’s uncompromising and distinct approach to quality has made him an iconic designer/CEO. Will that same playbook hold up in the agentic age?

00:00 Winning by Your Own Rules
03:12 Quality Is Directional
06:24 Do You Design in Code?
15:45 Owning the Problem
22:45 Beyond the Issue Tracker
26:36 The Bull Case for Design
28:45 Do We Still Need UI?
33:02 The Car Designer of Software
37:37 School Feels Fake
40:59 Never Build the MVP
43:56 Clarity of Scope
45:37 Linear Recalibrates the Palate

—
Karri Saarinen: How We Win
First of Kind S3 E03

Powered by @bot @framer @tryramp @vercel @noondesign @meetgranola @profound

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First of Kind @firstofkind 14h

One question sits at the heart of @firstofkind

@soleio asks @karrisaarinen how design pioneers come to see themselves as fit to build something new. Karri’s answer starts in a bicycle shop.

Full episode of HOW WE WIN: x.com/soleio/status/…

0:27

Soleio Verified account @soleio 3d

First of Kind: The @karrisaarinen interview

Can a designer-founder win the VC game ignoring all its rules?

Karri Saarinen’s uncompromising and distinct approach to quality has made him an iconic designer/CEO. Will that same playbook hold up in the agentic age?

00:00 Winning by Your Own Rules
03:12 Quality Is Directional
06:24 Do You Design in Code?
15:45 Owning the Problem
22:45 Beyond the Issue Tracker
26:36 The Bull Case for Design
28:45 Do We Still Need UI?
33:02 The Car Designer of Software
37:37 School Feels Fake
40:59 Never Build the MVP
43:56 Clarity of Scope
45:37 Linear Recalibrates the Palate

—
Karri Saarinen: How We Win
First of Kind S3 E03

Powered by @bot @framer @tryramp @vercel @noondesign @meetgranola @profound

View quoted post on X

First of Kind @firstofkind 1d

Just as good coffee ruins mediocre coffee, the same holds true for software.

@soleio with @karrisaarinen on how @linear recalibrates the palate: “Once you start experiencing good things, it’s kinda hard to go back to the bad things.”

Full episode of HOW WE WIN: x.com/soleio/status/…

0:27

Soleio Verified account @soleio 3d

First of Kind: The @karrisaarinen interview

Can a designer-founder win the VC game ignoring all its rules?

Karri Saarinen’s uncompromising and distinct approach to quality has made him an iconic designer/CEO. Will that same playbook hold up in the agentic age?

00:00 Winning by Your Own Rules
03:12 Quality Is Directional
06:24 Do You Design in Code?
15:45 Owning the Problem
22:45 Beyond the Issue Tracker
26:36 The Bull Case for Design
28:45 Do We Still Need UI?
33:02 The Car Designer of Software
37:37 School Feels Fake
40:59 Never Build the MVP
43:56 Clarity of Scope
45:37 Linear Recalibrates the Palate

—
Karri Saarinen: How We Win
First of Kind S3 E03

Powered by @bot @framer @tryramp @vercel @noondesign @meetgranola @profound

View quoted post on X