Brice Ayres

Yes, I’ve read the Culper short report on AppLovin. My thoughts: No, it’s not revelatory. Pre-loads and one-click installs on Android are common practice. Digital Turbine and ironSource offer similar products. App developers pay on app open. In fact, there’s no way to confirm the install absent an open. AppLovin also offers ROAS bidding. The notion that Google Play would be unaware of any malicious activity by AppLovin, the largest in-app broker ad network, is not credible. AppLovin is more than a decade old. Just because you’ve never heard of it doesn’t mean it’s a young company. Regarding front-running Meta spend: given the scale of AppLovin’s eCommerce advertisers’ Meta spend, they can necessarily measure incrementality. They wouldn’t scale on AppLovin if they didn’t see incrementality. I also don’t see how genuine front-running would be possible in an auction for in-app inventory. Further, it’s obvious why performance across the channels would be correlated. Full disclosure: I have a small, long-dated call position on AppLovin that amounts to <5% of my PA (notional). I have no commercial relationship with the company.

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one thing I believe will be very clear in retrospect as browsers evolve: we will have a consumer PERSONAL browser (optimized with our personal memory, our credit card, our social graph, buying history, and the many agents and apps of daily life) and we will have a WORK browser (optimized for teamwork via graph of who we work with and permissioning, working across apps, tapping enterprise memory, agents as colleagues etc). they will be very different, for very good reasons: different purpose, different memory, different buyer for all-things commerce, and different graph of who matters. they should be different products. and “browser” will probably become an antiquated term as this interface becomes the OS itself (or at least far more relevant!)

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Want to hire engineers who stick? Drop the unicorn hunt. Focus on real skills, not fantasy lists. The hiring landscape for embedded systems engineers is brutal. You’re tasked with finding talent that blends hardware savvy with software wizardry, thrives under real-time constraints, and can write code that squeezes into the tightest of spaces. It’s a niche, high-stakes game. But here’s the kicker: your biggest obstacle might not be the talent pool. It’s your own HR team. We’ve all seen those job descriptions that read like a wish list for a mythical creature: - "10+ years of C++ on bare-metal systems" - "Expertise in AI/ML AND RTOS AND FPGA" - "Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering REQUIRED" Sound familiar? These fantasy lists aren’t just unhelpful-they’re actively harmful. Here’s what happens when HR gets it wrong: ❌ You end up with a candidate pool of zero. ❌ The hiring process drags on for months. ❌ Your team suffers from missed deadlines and mounting pressure. Let’s be clear: the best embedded engineers aren’t defined by a laundry list of buzzwords. They’re problem-solvers. They’re adaptable. They know how to navigate the quirks and chaos of real-world systems. What we really need is a shift in mindset: → Stop focusing on years of experience; focus on hands-on impact. → Prioritize core competencies over exhaustive checklists. → Collaborate with HR to align on realistic, role-critical needs. The next time you’re handed a unicorn job description, push back. Use data to show what’s realistic. Reframe the role around what actually matters. Educate HR on why embedded is different. It’s not about creating friction-it’s about building a process that works. Pushing back isn’t just about making your life easier. It’s about securing the talent that will stick, perform, and drive your team forward. Want to build a high-performing team without the hiring headaches? Let’s talk. #EmbeddedSystems #EngineeringRecruitment #HiringDoneRight #RunTimeRecruitment

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Your mobile stack is burning cash. And you know it. I’ve heard the same three frustrations from five different founders this month: "We’ve got one engineer maintaining two codebases." "Our iOS update is stuck in review while Android ships." "By the time both platforms launch, the market’s moved." This isn’t about: • Picking the “right” architecture • Framework debates • Scalable unicorn theory This is about your startup’s heartbeat: • One team shipping features, not duplicating work • PMs seeing changes live, not after two sprint cycles • Investors seeing momentum, not a roadmap split in half Flutter isn’t winning on technical purity. It’s winning because the graveyard is full of teams that shipped too slow. Your competitors aren’t smarter. They’re just not building everything twice. If this sounds familiar, fix the stack before it kills your momentum. And if you’re ready to move faster, I work with founders who are done building everything twice. #MobileEngineering #Flutter #StartupExecution #MobileNatives #FounderOps

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A client spent over $400,000 on an app that barely worked. We took it over about 4 months ago. REALITY CHECK: Their previous dev team left them with: • Unstable codebase • Frustrated client and users • Monthly crashes • Zero scalability • Bleeding money Most agencies would rebuild from scratch. We did something different. Step 1: Deep dive technical audit Analyzed 50,000+ lines of code Found over 100 critical bugs Identified several security vulnerabilities Step 2: Strategic stabilization Fixed core functionality Patched security holes Optimized database queries Reduced load time by 73% Step 3: UX transformation Redesigned key user flows Simplified navigation Added performance monitoring Improved accessibility score by 89% Current status: • Zero downtime in 120 days • 94% reduction in user complaints • 40% faster load times • Platform ready for scaling Building from scratch can cost more. Smart optimization saves money. What we learned: Technical debt compounds like financial debt. Early fixes prevent costly rebuilds. User experience drives retention. Speed matters more than features. We're now building their next phase. Faster. Better. More scalable. Your software should work for you, not against you. Agree? Like and share your rescue story below.

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How to explain to family why a small software biz isn’t as dangerous as they think: The diff b/t a $8000/mo job and a high margin SaaS with 160 customers paying $50/mo is: When one person decides "this isn't for me anymore," you are out $50/mo instead of $8000/mo.

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If you’re a FinTech founder hiring devs before defining your architecture—you’re already burning money. I’ve worked with dozens of early-stage platforms. The #1 pattern? Founders rush to build without clear: - Integration strategy (Plaid, Stripe, Dwolla, etc.) - Compliance roadmap - Modular backend that supports scale The result: rewrites, delays, and team churn. If you’re a non-technical founder navigating this, my advice: Start with a technical blueprint—before you touch code. I help founders build that plan and execute it fast. Let me know if you’re in this boat.

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So which models produce HTML that has the least accessibility errors, and at what cost? Mapped it out here (bottom left is the best). This is helpful for understanding which models are most compliant for those with disabilities and do it efficiently. Qwen and Gemini 2.5 Flash lead the pack. Hat tip to Ben Ogilvie for pointing me to this: aimac.ai

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When you are trying to hire great SWE talent...... But haven't spoken with Oakland Search... Many companies struggle to attract top-tier software engineering talent. In my experience, securing outstanding talent is not simply a matter of offering the highest salary. The most successful companies provide a compelling mix of clarity, flexibility, and opportunity. What the best candidates look for: Clear Vision – A transparent understanding of company objectives, the role and how they can grow. Flexibility – Modern working arrangements, adaptable hours, and respect for work-life balance. Challenge – Opportunities to solve hard technical problems and what value that brings to business and how they will be recognised for doing so. Confidence & Trust – Leaders who empower, inspire, and provide autonomy. Competitive Positioning – Awareness of who else is vying for the same talent and what makes your opportunity stand out. Target Sources of Talent – A clear view of which companies or backgrounds align best, and why. At Oakland Search, we intentionally decline certain new business opportunities. Why? Because if a company cannot provide the above, candidates will not join. The market is rich with alternatives, and the best engineers will always choose environments where they feel valued and challenged. Oakland Search would rather build strong, lasting partnerships with a select group of companies than spread our efforts thinly across transactional engagements. Hiring is about creating meaningful matches that drive both company success and personal career growth. Few things are more rewarding than working with a new client to uncover precisely what they need, solving a critical hiring challenge fast, and presenting candidates with an opportunity that genuinely excites them. Our New Business Checklist Before taking on a new client, we ask: Will this company/role be attractive to our candidates? How heavily has it already been marketed to the talent pool? What reputation does the brand hold in the eyes of potential hires? Is the budget competitive and realistic? Does the “skills wishlist” reflect reality, or is there flexibility? Is the client open to feedback and creative hiring strategies? Will this role complement and strengthen our existing portfolio of opportunities? Just as Manchester United has learned that you cannot simply outspend the competition and expect success. Building a winning team requires more than cash—it needs vision, trust, and a strategy that resonates with top talent. If you are serious about avoiding costly hiring mistakes and attracting world-class software engineering talent, get in touch.

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AI isn’t just for tech giants - even a local moving company is pulling off things that seemed barely possible. 3 Men Movers, a Houston-based moving firm, deployed AI cameras in their trucks to automatically detect distracted driving and alert drivers in real time. The result? In just the first 3 months, this AI reduced accidents by 4.5% by preventing 80% of distraction incidents. They’ve also plugged in an AI route optimizer to find the fastest paths for their 100-truck fleet. Ten years ago, you’d never expect a mid-sized mover to run an AI safety system usually seen in high-end trucking fleets. But here we are – affordable AI tools are helping even small businesses operate more safely and efficiently than ever. Congratulations to Jacky Fischer and the rest of the 3 Men Movers team for showing the way to lead with AI. https://lnkd.in/gx6_SqYk

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Last week, we saw another $200 million vanish into a hack on SUI chain. The reason? A simple human error. Every month, we work with dozens of projects, and there’s one question we hear over and over again: How can we prepare for a battle-tested audit? Here’s the process we always recommend for getting your project audit-ready:

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