A couple of nights ago, I got to see Amy Lee and Evanescence in concert. Yes, full early 2000s energy. She has to be a top-5 female rock vocalist. If you follow my IG, you probably caught a few Stories from the show. Quite an incredible act. Fun fact: Amy started Evanescence when she was 13. Crazy.

If you've been an OP reader for at least a year, you know I take a Summer Siesta and pause the letter until late August or early September. Time to rest, recharge, and actually enjoy the summer. Every once in a while, I'll sneak one in when you least expect it.

Well, that Summer Siesta is here.

Don't fret. I've got some great summer reading below.

I also have a big topic on my mind that keeps coming up in conversations, and I'm going to spend some real time thinking it through. How do you think about build vs. buy in this new world of software?

One caveat: let's assume that if you build, you'll eventually hand it off to a company that can harden it, secure it, maintain it, and host it.

If you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Just reply to this email.

One more thing: who is the best AI FDE (forward deployed engineer) you know? AI-native coder, vibe coder, AI prototyper, whatever you want to call it. No need to make introductions right now, but I'd love names and LinkedIn profiles. If you know someone fantastic, reply to this one too. Thank you in advance.

If you haven’t signed up for July 28th’s Silicon Alley Sports Tennis Invitational, now is the time. Limited tickets left. 35 days left until the event.

Be well, do good.
Darren

Stop Optimizing, Start Reinventing: Three Imperatives For Marketing Leaders In 2026 (Forrester)

How This Team President Built the Knicks' Championship Roster (Entrepreneur)

I Made Opus 4.8 and Fable 5 Build the Same App (RAW RESULTS) - YouTube

21-year-old AI startup cofounder's sales pitch to clients: 'Do not trust us' | Fortune (Fortune)

OpenAI moves to automate ad creative (Digiday)

Shopify is preparing for AI shopping agents to change everything, exec says (TechCrunch)

The Tiny American Distillery Giving Scotch a Run for Its Money - WSJ (WSJ)

Knicks Bulletin: ‘The real celebrities are the ones in the 200’s and the nosebleeds’ | Posting and Toasting (Posting and Toasting)

The Hacker Sent by Anthropic to Calm the Government’s Nerves About AI Safety (WSJ)

Reddit Is Ready to Be Mined for Hollywood IP (Hollywood Reporter)

SoftBank and OpenAI team up to shield Japan from cyberattacks (AP News)

Apple Plans Camera AirPods, iPhone Foldable 2, 20th Anniversary iPhone in 2027 (Bloomberg)

Innovating in Private Equity Operational Value Creation (Accenture)

When Knicks Are On, New York's Dealmakers Turn Off (Front Office Sports)

The Golden Age of AI Applications (Tom Tunguz)

The Room Is The Prompt (Jeremy Utley)

An Interview with Benedict Evans About AI and Software (Stratechery)

Disposable software: software is now just paper plates (Auren Hoffman)

Microsoft and Software Survival (Stratechery)

McKinsey Consultants Are Letting AI Take Over an Essential Part of Their Work (Entrepreneur)

Key findings from our 2026 AI adoption survey — and why CMOs should care (Writer)

Identity Reinvention (Rishad Tobacowalla)

More Than A Closer: The GTM Standard Private Equity Boards Hold To In 2026 (Bespoke Partners)

At Cannes Lions this year, marketers expect AI conversations to go from theoretical to practical (Marketing Brew)

Watch/Horological

If you want to rathole, check out MidlifeCrisisWatches blog

Artisans de Genève Andrea Pirlo Project Skeleton Rolex Submariner Review (Monochrome Watches)

Rolex Submariner: Five-Digit Or Six-Digit — Which Do You Prefer? (Fratello Watches - The Magazine Dedicated To Luxury Watches)

Fratello Talks: The Watch Retail Experience (Fratello)

Review of the Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto (Hodinkee)

The Best Summer Watches: Thomas's Picks For 2026 (Fratello)

California Chronograph: J.N. Shapiro Unveils Infinity Series Radiant (SJX)

Thank you for reading this week’s OP! I truly appreciate the time you took to read it and hope you enjoyed it.