{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Serious People Podcast","title":"Michael Ducker: What Actually Makes You an Agent Builder","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/7f8ee791\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2730,"description":"\nMichael Ducker and Noah Levin get into the practical mechanics of bringing AI into a real business. Michael shares the story behind his work building open source emoji at Twitter, then digs into why AI is creating real disillusionment even as it transforms how work gets done.\nThey walk through what it actually takes to get IT and a skeptical team on board, and the step-by-step process for turning a single AI session into a reusable skill through a technique called hill climbing.\nThe conversation lands on the real shift underway: agents moving from single-player tools into something teams build and share together, changing what it means to be a worker at all.\nYou’ll hear:\nThree reasons AI adoption is creating disillusionment right now\nHow to get IT comfortable with AI tools through proxies and access controls\nWhat a skill really is, and how to build one using the hill climbing technique\nMoving from single player AI use to building agents with a team\nWhere to start automating real business processes, from knowledge bases to full agent workflows\nChapters:\n(00:00) Introduction\n(01:06) Michael's role in bringing open source emoji to the web\n(04:10) Sponsor: Valet\n(05:39) Three reasons AI is causing disillusionment\n(09:33) The trust question: giving AI access to email and bank accounts\n(12:07) The founding story of Valet\n(15:43) What actually sells AI adoption to a team\n(20:31) Building a shared folder as the foundation for team AI adoption\n(22:45) What a skill is and how to build one through hill climbing\n(32:34) Single-player vs. multiplayer mode\n(33:39) What an agent is, and graduating to agent builder\n(36:54) Where to start: high-value agent use cases\n(42:37) Startup and model risk: playing the long game\n(43:48) Where to find Michael, and wrap-up\nResources:\nValet — Episode Sponsor\nValet turns repeatable business processes into agents that work where your team already does—across Slack, email, calendars, and the tools you use every day. Try the Calendar Research...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/NxoMuCaL8mXunCKvOjnRkI-5gybrIUeofz2EwSDdIxE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zZTQz/MDY2YWExNDY1MDhi/Njk3ZGE5YmIxNjI1/MTYxOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}