Robert DuBois
builder / systems / ai

How I work

product instinct + frontier tooling + team enablement

I come from product and design. Co-founded two companies, led product at a third, coached 100+ founders. That background forced me to get good at one thing: understanding the actual problem before building anything. Every system I ship starts there.

I was an early believer in AI as a working tool — I applied to Anthropic over three years ago, and I was building and shipping my own AI products in 2024 before "vibe coding" had a name. I build across whatever surface the problem demands: local Mac, Replit, Cursor, Claude Code, Flutter, Node, Python. I don't wait for permission to learn a new stack.

The thing I care most about is making teams dangerous with these tools -- not just adopting them myself. At MILLS I made AI non-optional, ran workshops to integrate Claude Cowork into daily workflows, pushed our developer to use AI in every task, and wired Cursor agents into Linear for autonomous PR generation. Enablement isn't a deck. It's sitting next to someone while they use the tool.

principles
Start with the person, not the technology

Years as a head of product, designer, and founder taught me one thing: if you don't deeply understand the user's problem, the solution doesn't matter. I bring that craft to every system I build — the first question is always what's broken in someone's workflow, not what tool to use.

Stay on the frontier

I was vibe coding in 2024, building and shipping my own products before it had a name. I've built apps in Node, Python, and Flutter without formal training in any of them — locally on my Mac, across Replit, in Cursor, in Claude Code. Wherever the best tool lives, I go there. When a new capability drops, I'm building with it that week.

Make the team dangerous, not just yourself

At MILLS I didn't just adopt AI — I made it mandatory. I ran workshops to get every team member into Claude Cowork daily. I pushed our developer to use AI in every workflow and integrated Cursor agents into Linear for autonomous PR generation. Adoption doesn't come from training decks. It comes from sitting next to people while they use the tools.

Build for the person who comes after you

Every system I build includes its own documentation. AGENTS.md files, architecture diagrams, onboarding guides. If the next person can't pick it up without asking me, I haven't finished the work.

Systems over heroics

If a process depends on one person remembering to do something, it's not a process. I design workflows that run whether I'm there or not.

Prototype fast, kill fast

I've built systems that lasted and systems that didn't. The ones that didn't taught me more. Speed of iteration matters more than perfection of first draft.

daily tools
ClaudePrimary AI partner — coding, strategy, analysis, writing
CursorAI-native IDE, background agents for autonomous PRs
Claude CodeTerminal-native AI for complex multi-file tasks
Whispr FlowVoice-to-text for rapid capture and drafting
GranolaAI meeting notes, auto-structured
LinearIssue tracking, agent integration pipeline
ObsidianKnowledge base, Starling agent system substrate
FigmaDesign, prototyping, component libraries
ReplitFast web app prototyping and deployment