41: The One Metric That Proves Your AI Product Works (with Dave Stys)

For more on building AI products and careers, along with early course announcement and special pricing, subscribe to the AI Career Boost mailing list at https://aicareerboost.com/interested THE GUESTDave Stys is a product leader with one of the most fascinating paths into tech—starting his career calibrating instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope before moving into reimagining the future of email at AWeber. Blending scientific precision with sharp marketing instincts, Dave has led initiatives in dynamic content, AMP for email, and deliverability. Now, he's stepping into a bold new chapter, exploring how AI can enhance content creation and streamline product workflows across the email ecosystem. Whether he’s mentoring teams or decoding spam signals, Dave is shaping the future of communication one message at a time.THE SUMMARYPrototype First, Permission Later: Dave didn’t wait for roadmap approval—he just built it. His AI newsletter builder solved a real problem, got internal traction, and shipped. Action beats alignment.Blank Pages Kill Momentum: Email editors shouldn’t feel like Photoshop. Dave’s AI-generated “block layouts” let users skip the design paralysis and drop in beautiful, functional content instantly.Cursor Over No-Code: No-code tools felt like config hell. Cursor gave Dave just enough coding power to move fast without being an engineer. The takeaway: pick tools that suit how you think.Real Adoption = No Edits: Users hit “send” on AI-generated emails without changing a word. That’s the bar for useful AI—not engagement, not hype—trust.Don’t Chase the Shiny Stuff: AI image generation wasn’t ready—yet. Dave’s experiments bombed early on. Know where AI adds value now, and where it still lags.Invest, Then Build: Whether it’s buying a tool, joining a course, or staying up late, Dave’s message is simple: no one’s coming to upgrade you. Do it yourself.THE SHOWWeekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.THE LINKSHave a question you want us to answer? Send it through to [email protected] StysLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstysWebsite: https://www.aweber.com/My linksLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/⁠ AI Career Boost: ⁠https://www.aicareerboost.com/⁠

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