Ryo Lu built his own operating system. In a browser. For fun.Cursor's Head of Design reveals why he evolved from being a "sponge" (absorbing everyone's input) and started building playgrounds instead. We talk burnout, creative freedom, and why your weird side project might be the most important thing you build.Get the UX Tools Newsletter (written by me)Join 100,000+ designers for weekly insights on creative software and the people shaping it: https://uxtools.coCHAPTERS:00:00 - "I've been lying to myself"00:47 - The Front Page generation01:16 - Becoming a sponge at Notion02:23 - Why designers should code (differently)03:18 - The fog of war metaphor04:39 - What is RyoOS?05:17 - From Notion's constraints to Cursor's freedom07:39 - "It's like constant flow state"09:39 - Stop asking permission10:60 - Building in days vs. weeks12:11 - The 16-year-olds building the future14:50 - Your playground is already in your headPLAYGROUNDS MENTIONED:Sam Peitz experiments: https://x.com/samdapeLee Black: https://x.com/mrblackstudioKat the Poet Engineer: https://x.com/poetengineer__Tatiana Tsiguleva: https://x.com/cigulevaSPECIAL THANKS:Sam Chapman: https://x.com/editedbysamMapal Berenson: https://www.youtube.com/@mapalBernabe Bolanos: https://www.youtube.com/@BernabeBolanosAdam Stewart: https://www.instagram.com/adnastu/Tom Fox: https://catalog.tomfox.site/LINKS:UX Tools Newsletter: https://uxtools.coFollow Ryo: https://x.com/ryolu_Try Cursor: https://cursor.comSee RyoOS: http://os.ryo.lu/FOLLOW ME:Instagram: https://instagram.com/itsdesignertomX / Twitter: https://x.com/designertom_LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tommygeocoTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@designertomThreads: https://threads.net/itsdesignertomAUDIO VERSION:Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zDPTGHDSHgBekUxZQxUANListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/state-of-play/id1829478829

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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