Matt D. Smith argues that by 2026, AI-native design will be the baseline expectation for any designer. Jack Dorsey's recent layoffs show how AI and smaller teams are reshaping companies. Smith says adopt an AI-first mindset: integrate AI into your workflow to work faster while keeping your core skills sharp.
Jack, the co-founder of Twitter, Cash App, Square, he just fired almost half of his 10,000 employees, and this is what he said: We're already seeing that intelligent tools we're creating and using, paired with smaller and flatter teams, are enabling a new way of working which fundamentally changes what it means to build and run a company, and that's accelerating rapidly. Intelligent tools, that is AI. And that's going to fundamentally change how you build things, how you design things, and what people expect you to be able to do. Then he goes on to say, we're going to build this company with intelligence at the core of everything we do. Intelligence at the core. He's specifically talking about AI. Not every company is going this drastic, but in 2026, it certainly feels like AI-native design, building, and prototyping will be at the core of what is expected for you as a designer or a builder. And I can guarantee you that most tech companies are thinking about this exact same thing. So ask yourself, how can I put AI at the core of everything that I'm doing as a designer or a builder? How can I reach for AI first in order to do something more quickly? It doesn't mean abandon all of your skills. It just means figure out a way to get AI to help you do it faster. And if you're able to craft enough context and become an AI-native builder, it's going to serve you very, very well in the future. I'm sending out in-depth AI-native design and build content on my newsletter. So go to shiftnudge.com/subscribe and let's get you on that list.
