<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: blakeburch</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=blakeburch</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:18:25 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=blakeburch" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (March 2026)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><p><pre><code>  Location: Austin, TX, USA
  Remote: Yes, preferred. Open to hybrid in Austin.
  Willing to relocate: No.
  Technologies: 
    - Data Storage: AWS S3, BigQuery, GCS, PostgreSQL, Redshift, Snowflake
    - DataOps: dbt (Cloud/Core), Fivetran, Hightouch, Looker Studio, Metabase, Tableau, Hex
    - AI: Anthropic, Cursor, Midjourney, Ollama, OpenAI
    - Programming: Bash, GitHub, HTML, CSS, Python, SQL
    - Product: Arcade, Betterstack, Hotjar, Intercom, Retool, Segment
    - Web & Design: Descript, Docusaurus, Figma, Ghost, GitBook, Sanity.io, Webflow
    - GTM: Ahrefs, Apollo, Clay, Google Ads, Salesforce
    - Productivity: Airtable, Linear, Notion, Slack, Zapier
  Résumé/CV: https://bburch.my/resume
  Email: agile.desk3846@fastmail.com (masked address so I can filter out spam)
</code></pre>
Hey - I'm Blake! I'm a seasoned technical product leader with 10+ years building AI-powered data products and B2B SaaS platforms. I was previously the first analytics hire at Roboflow (Vision AI), co-founder at Shipyard (data orchestration), and Head of Data Products at PMG Advertising Agency. My experience spans early-stage IC work to building a department of 12.<p>I'm looking for technical PM roles at mission-driven companies, ideally smaller orgs, where I can build from the ground up. I prefer a ~70/30 leader/IC split with a focus on AI and data-adjacent work. I'm open to any industry except advertising, gambling, crypto, and defense.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:43:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223778</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223778</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47223778</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (February 2026)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><p><pre><code>  Location: Austin, TX, USA
  Remote: Yes, preferred. Open to hybrid in Austin.
  Willing to relocate: No.
  Technologies: 
    - Data Storage: AWS S3, BigQuery, GCS, PostgreSQL, Redshift, Snowflake
    - DataOps: dbt (Cloud/Core), Fivetran, Hightouch, Looker Studio, Metabase, Tableau, Hex
    - AI: Anthropic, Cursor, Midjourney, Ollama, OpenAI
    - Programming: Bash, GitHub, HTML, CSS, Python, SQL
    - Product: Arcade, Betterstack, Hotjar, Intercom, Retool, Segment
    - Web & Design: Descript, Docusaurus, Figma, Ghost, GitBook, Sanity.io, Webflow
    - GTM: Ahrefs, Apollo, Clay, Google Ads, Salesforce
    - Productivty: Airtable, Linear, Notion, Slack, Zapier
  Résumé/CV: https://bburch.my/resume
  Email: agile.desk3846@fastmail.com (masked address so I can filter out spam)
</code></pre>
I'm a seasoned technical product leader with 10+ years experience building data-intensive products and B2B SaaS platforms that drive adoption and scale.<p>I was previously the first product analytics hire at a Vision AI startup, Roboflow. Before that, I co-founded a B2B data operations tool, Shipyard. Earlier in my career, I was the Head of Data Products at PMG Advertising Agency where I built the team from the ground up. With a wide array of experience across Product, Data, and AI, I've led teams of up to 12 and have also been in the weeds as a department of one.<p>It's most important for me to work for a mission-driven company that wants to scale with bold and innovative approaches. I want to sink my teeth into tough problems, learn new things, and work with interesting and curious people.<p>I'm primarily looking for technical product roles. I enjoy ideating solutions, building MVPs, experimentation, and orchestrating all of the work to achieve a strategic vision. I prefer a roughly 70/30 split between leader/IC. I prefer smaller organizations with the ability to build something from the ground up. Despite my background, I'd like to avoid working in the advertising space.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 03:43:26 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46866193</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46866193</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46866193</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Share your personal website"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><a href="https://www.blakeburch.com" rel="nofollow">https://www.blakeburch.com</a><p>Always wish it had more, but priorities shift over time!</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:36:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624842</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624842</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624842</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (December 2025)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><p><pre><code>  Location: Austin, TX, USA
  Remote: Yes, preferred. Open to hybrid in Austin.
  Willing to relocate: No.
  Technologies: 
    - Data Storage: AWS S3, BigQuery, GCS, PostgreSQL, Redshift, Snowflake
    - DataOps: dbt (Cloud/Core), Fivetran, Hightouch, Looker Studio, Metabase, Tableau, Hex
    - AI: Anthropic, Cursor, Midjourney, Ollama, OpenAI
    - Programming: Bash, GitHub, HTML, CSS, Python, SQL
    - Product: Arcade, Betterstack, Hotjar, Intercom, Retool, Segment
    - Web & Design: Descript, Docusaurus, Figma, Ghost, GitBook, Sanity.io, Webflow
  Résumé/CV: https://bburch.my/resume
  Email: agile.desk3846@fastmail.com (masked address so I can filter out spam)
</code></pre>
I'm a seasoned data + AI leader with 10+ years experience building high-performance teams focused on automation, analytics, and data-driven results. I'm the type of person who looks at complex data challenges and sees opportunities for radical transformation. Whether it's automating workflows, experimenting with AI, or creating novel ML models that drive efficiency, I'm all about pushing boundaries and turning data into a growth accelerator.<p>I was previously the first analytics hire at a Computer Vision startup, Roboflow. Before that, I was co-founder of a B2B data operations tool, Shipyard. Earlier in my career, I was the Head of Data at PMG Digital Agency where I built the team from the ground up. It's most important for me to work for a mission-driven company that wants to scale with bold and innovative approaches. I want to sink my teeth into tough problems and learn new things.<p>I'm primarily looking for data leadership or technical product roles. I enjoy ideating solutions, building MVPs, experimentation, and orchestrating all of the work to achieve a strategic vision. I prefer a 70/30 split between leader/IC. I prefer smaller organizations with the ability to build something from the ground up. Despite my background, I'd like to avoid working in the advertising space.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 21:53:56 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46140722</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46140722</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46140722</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Looking for headless CMS recommendation"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I really enjoyed sanity.io a year ago. It had the best data structure flexibility by a mile, with the ability to have multiple user draft states and merge conflict resolution.<p>Other Headless CMS felt restrictive, with shared drafts or the requirement for all published items to have changes go live instantly.<p>Once you're set up with your schema, the UI is easy enough for non-developers (and you can customize it for them if needed).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:50:24 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118608</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118608</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118608</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Show HN: I taught AI to commentate Pong in real time"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Really fun to see! I'd love to have something similar for esports, like League of Legends or Rocket League. So much of the commentary feels like filler with stats and statements about a player.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 04 May 2025 15:31:01 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43887279</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43887279</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43887279</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Password reuse is rampant: nearly half of observed user logins are compromised"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I used to do this (10+ years ago), but once a few get leaked, everything else would get exposed if someone wanted to target you.<p>Much easier to just manage randomized passwords through 1Password.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Mar 2025 14:11:21 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43399646</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43399646</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43399646</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Didn't realize it was this bad"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>If the employer adds more friction with custom, upfront questions, they drastically reduce the quantity of applications while increasing the quality of those left.<p>If the employer doesn't post to job boards, they reduce the quantity of applications, but they increase those that found them "direct" and likely care more about the company.<p>It's not perfect, but the biggest issue right now is that both sides are typically trying to put as little effort in as possible.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2025 03:43:20 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155644</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155644</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155644</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Egg prices are soaring. Are backyard chickens the answer?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Cool idea and tech! The idea of "plug and play" for chicken ownership is pretty novel. Bet my parents would love the smart cameras.<p>For EggsteinAI, did y'all build with CV tools like Roboflow? Or completely custom process? Would probably make for a fun read.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:14 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43116324</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43116324</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43116324</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold 2M units, production to be increased"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Is there anyway to bypass Meta on these? Or is there an open source version in the works?<p>Interested to see what could be done locally with always-on visual capture + LLMs. Not interested in sending that data to Meta.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:25:17 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43091494</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43091494</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43091494</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was! Responded in a comment below. The public library serves the digital books directly through Amazon.<p>Either I'm missing something more obvious or the system I've seen libraries use for digital books over the past 10 years is more uncommon than I realized.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:18:36 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059646</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059646</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059646</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Actual library that lends me ebooks (Austin). The library uses Overdrive (Libby) and anything provided in the Kindle format can't be downloaded directly from the Library's interface. You have to click a "Read now with Kindle" button which redirects you to Amazon, where you have to click "Get Library Book" directly from Amazon.com.<p>Epub can be downloaded directly from the library, but these have to be converted into a Kindle compatible format. I'm also unsure if every digital book copy has Epub as a format, since there are some digital copies that don't have Kindle format.<p>This has been true of all public digital libraries I've used in the past 10 years (Houston, Arlington, Fort Worth)</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:17:32 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059634</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059634</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059634</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>From what the article says, that's doesn't appear to be true.<p>In order to download and transfer Kindle books from the Library, I have to first add them to "My Content" on Amazon, then from the Amazon interface click "Download & Transfer via USB". That's the only way to access the AZW3 files that get moved over to the Kindle.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:08:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059548</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059548</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059548</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>From what the article says, that's doesn't appear to be true.<p>In order to download and transfer Kindle books from the Library, I have to first add them to "My Content" on Amazon, then from the Amazon interface click "Download & Transfer via USB". That's the only way to access the AZW3 files that get moved over to the Kindle.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 16:08:34 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059546</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059546</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059546</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Amazon's killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>This is... terrible news. This is primarily how I get books from the library. I found that if you keep the Kindle on Airplane mode and download + transfer them, they never expire.<p>Nothing malicious. I just can't read books arbitrarily in a 21 day period.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:27:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059144</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059144</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43059144</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "I got OpenAI o1 to play the boardgame Codenames and it's super good"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Love the idea! Just wish you could clarify a number like you do in codenames. Otherwise, it just keeps going until all of its options are wrong.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 16:51:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42822757</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42822757</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42822757</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "How to improve your WFH lighting to reduce eye strain"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Glad to hear someone else doing this. I feel bad not using the grow light to... you know... grow plants. But the light it provides in my office is lovely.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jan 2025 15:54:26 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42814317</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42814317</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42814317</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "I automated my job application process"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The thought process was tracking all candidates (not having a user-submitted number). That tracking is already happening for most marketing analytics. I'm surprised I haven't seen it show up on the job application side.<p>As for the fave 5 idea - I don't see an easy way to game this if it's tied to a single user account. You would only be seen as prioritizing the company to the employer if you're actively prioritizing them. Most people are applying to way more than 5 companies simultaneously and don't know where their application stands for the company. It would be too risky to try and rotate it continuously.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:54:53 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42660084</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42660084</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42660084</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Spending Tracking Tools"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I highly recommend LunchMoney (<a href="https://lunchmoney.app/" rel="nofollow">https://lunchmoney.app/</a>). It's built by a solo developer who is very responsive and continues to make the app great. Lots of automation and ability to create custom classification rules. I've been happy for the past 3 years.<p>I've also heard good things about CoPilot (<a href="https://copilot.money/" rel="nofollow">https://copilot.money/</a>) but have not had the chance to experiment with it yet.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jan 2025 17:41:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42603413</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42603413</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42603413</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by blakeburch in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (January 2025)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><p><pre><code>  Location: Austin, TX, USA
  Remote: Yes, preferred. Open to hybrid in Austin.
  Willing to relocate: No.
  Technologies: 
    - Data Storage: AWS S3, BigQuery, GCS, PostgreSQL, Redshift, Snowflake
    - DataOps: dbt (Cloud/Core), Fivetran, Hightouch, Looker Studio, Metabase, Tableau
    - AI: Anthropic, Cursor, Midjourney, Ollama, OpenAI, 
    - Programming: Bash, GitHub, HTML, CSS, Python, SQL
    - Product: Arcade, Betterstack, Hotjar, Intercom, Retool, Segment
    - Web & Design: Descript, Docusaurus, Figma, Ghost, Sanity.io, Webflow
  Résumé/CV: https://bburch.my/resume
  Email: agile.desk3846@fastmail.com (masked address so I can filter out spam)
</code></pre>
I'm a seasoned data + AI leader with 10+ years experience building high-performance teams focused on automation, analytics, and data-driven results. I'm the type of person who looks at complex data challenges and sees opportunities for radical transformation. Whether it's automating workflows, experimenting with AI, or creating novel ML models that drive efficiency, I'm all about pushing boundaries and turning data into a growth accelerator.<p>I was previously co-founder of a B2B data operations tool, Shipyard. Before that, I was the Head of Data at PMG Digital Agency where I built the team from the ground up. It's most important for me to work for a mission-driven company that wants to scale with bold and innovative approaches. I want to sink my teeth into tough problems and learn new things.<p>I'll do my best work focused on a mix of data, AI, and product. I can seamlessly adapt between IC or management roles and I prefer to have a decent amount of time hands on. Smaller organizations with the ability to build something from the ground up is a big plus. Despite my background, I'd like to avoid working in the advertising space.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jan 2025 16:26:15 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42575831</link><dc:creator>blakeburch</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42575831</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42575831</guid></item></channel></rss>