It’s time to stop being a “First-Time” CEO
I must confess...
I have a confession: I’ve become bored with the term “First-Time CEO.”
When I started this project, the title felt like a badge of honor. It represented the grind, the steep learning curve, and the unique hurdles of building something from nothing. But the world has shifted beneath our feet. Today, with the barrier to entry for building a business effectively at zero, anyone can be a “First-Time CEO” by tomorrow morning. AI is building businesses daily.
Because of that, simply being “new” at it isn’t the interesting part anymore. It’s not what I want to write about, and I suspect (seeing the readership) it’s not what you want to read about either.
We are moving from the era of “learning to lead” to the era of “orchestrating intent.”
That’s why I am officially rebranding the newsletter, the podcast, and my upcoming book to The AI-Native CEO.
Why the Pivot?
I don’t want to just talk about leadership. I want to explore—and show you—what it looks like to be a CEO who is shipping, building, and automating with AI. The future is here, and if you are a CEO who is not using AI daily for your business, my friend, I’ll be brutally honest with you—you are done. In this project, I want to dive deep into the tools, the agentic architectures, and the workflows that allow one person to do the work of ten.
This shift is especially vital for the book. I recently realized that by the time I hit 50 podcast episodes, the world will be fundamentally transformed. I want this project to be a living document of that transformation—capturing the exact moments where AI development changed the way we create value forever.
Enter: NERDIE
As part of this new chapter, I’m launching something I am incredibly proud of: NERDIE.
NERDIE is an online vibe coding community for AI-native women. After the incredible energy at our SheBuilds x Lovable event for International Women’s Day, the message was clear: women want more. They want a space to build, not just talk.
So, I am launching Sunday Build—a monthly offline residency here in sunny Ericeira for women building with AI, as an addition to the online community.
A first session will happen on April 5th:
What: A hands-on “vibe coding” session to ship your ideas + a mini-lecture on prompt-engineering by me, and a delicious brunch with discussions about business and AI.
When: April 5th, from 10 am to 2 pm.
Where: Ericeira, Portugal, and supported by our friends at Lovable.
If you’re in the area or want to join the digital movement, you can find us here.
#GoldenFindings
This week’s must-read: Something big is happening by Shumer. It perfectly captures the “vibe” of the current shift in software development, and well, any industry. If you feel like the ground is moving, this explains why.
#CEOCheck
What is one manual process in your business today that you are “protecting” because you’re afraid to let AI touch it—and what would happen if you let go?
I can’t wait to reshape the podcast and share the first episodes with AI-native leaders with you!
See you in the IDE :)
Yours,
Victoria