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The Playbook

How They Became Known

A series about how technology companies gain attention and establish legitimacy online. Each edition aims to reconstruct the decisions, stories, personalities, and accidents behind a company.

Editions

How Obsidian Built a Cult of Note Taking

How Obsidian Built a Cult of Note Taking

Obsidian turned local files, a growing obsession with note-taking, and users who made the app their own into a devoted following and an independent business.

Sep 17, 2026
How Vercel Turned Shipping Into Its Brand

How Vercel Turned Shipping Into Its Brand

Vercel and Netlify show two ways developer-tool companies turn open-source adoption into attention, legitimacy, and demand for paid products.

Sep 3, 2026
How Linear Turned Craft Into a B2B Growth Strategy

How Linear Turned Craft Into a B2B Growth Strategy

Linear’s founders hated the project-management software they used at Airbnb, Coinbase, and Uber. So they built a faster, more opinionated alternative, turned craft into a company philosophy, and made their product a status signal for ambitious software teams.

Aug 20, 2026
How beehiiv Sold the Morning Brew Playbook to Everyone

How beehiiv Sold the Morning Brew Playbook to Everyone

Tyler Denk helped build the machinery behind Morning Brew. Then he recruited two of its engineers, rebuilt the product as a SaaS, and made his own personality the heart of the company. The result is one of the creator economy’s fastest-growing companies. It is also a test of how far a founder’s personality can scale.

Aug 11, 2026