Dan Hock’s Essays

How to future-proof a career in data science

Where data science and analytics are headed, what the best roles are going to look like, and what anyone can do now to prepare

Oct 27 • Dan Hockenmaier and Jess Lachs

39

12

4

How scared should Amazon be of agents?

Amazon has blocked everyone’s agents, and it has many people thinking that now might be a good time to try to compete with them.

Oct 20 • Dan Hockenmaier

34

14

4

September 2026

Momentum is Not a Moat

Why defensibility still matters and where it will come from in the AI era

Sep 15 • Dan Hockenmaier

74

1

10

August 2026

How to Build a High-Growth Operating System: 9 Lessons from 9 Years at Faire

Lessons on cadence, hiring, culture, and finding meaning at a high-growth startup.

Aug 18 • Dan Hockenmaier

126

15

13

April 2026

How to Use AI Without Losing Your Mind

A common-sense, hype-free guide to using AI to become more effective

Apr 8 • Dan Hockenmaier

224

34

22

March 2026

The End of Fragmentation

Why AI will consolidate markets and create the biggest businesses of all time

Mar 19 • Dan Hockenmaier

73

9

2

February 2026

The Software Shakeout: What Is Durable and What Is Not in the Age of AI?

A lot has been said about the software selloff in the last few weeks. This is an attempt to distill all of that into a framework to predict which…

Feb 19 • Dan Hockenmaier

165

10

12

Becoming an artist to outrun the machines

The skills that still matter as AI progresses, and how to develop them

Feb 10 • Dan Hockenmaier

144

14

31

January 2026

LLMs vs. Marketplaces

Which marketplaces will probably win the battle with LLMs, which will probably lose, and what any marketplace can do to improve its odds.

Jan 13 • Dan Hockenmaier

182

44

19

September 2025

How to make your writing C.R.I.S.P.

A framework for improving your business writing with templates and an LLM prompt

Sep 4, 2025 • Dan Hockenmaier

102

2

3

July 2025

Vibe Analysis

AI is coming for data analysis, and it will never be the same

Jul 31, 2025 • Dan Hockenmaier

145

24

15

Build, Sell, Understand

A framework for navigating your startup career

Jul 14, 2025 • Dan Hockenmaier

118

25

16