# How Stripe, Linear, Square & more top companies operationalize taste

## How to make craft your moat

[Firsthand: Seven Years Inside Applied Intuition, the Quietly Dominant Physical AI Company](https://review.firstround.com/firsthand-applied-intuition/)

I joined Applied Intuition as a new-grad engineer back in early 2019, when it was just a handful of us working above a bar on Murphy Ave in Sunnyvale...

June 03, 2026

[“AI-Powered” Isn’t a Position](https://review.firstround.com/positioning-playbook-for-ai-products/)

A playbook for building a distinctive brand when too many AI products sound the same, look the same and have the same positioning.

May 14, 2026

[Why founders should bet on first-time executives | Praveer Melwani (CFO, Figma)](https://review.firstround.com/why-founders-should-bet-on-first-time-executives-praveer-melwani-cfo-figma/)

In this latest episode of Executive Function, Brett sits down with Praveer Melwani, CFO at Figma. Praveer joined Figma in 2017 as the company's first...

May 14, 2026

[Guideline's Path to Product-Market Fit — The Early Decisions That Powered Its Acquisition by Gusto](https://review.firstround.com/guidelines-path-to-product-market-fit/)

Ten years after shaking up the retirement fund industry for SMBs, Guideline has been acquired by Gusto. Here, co-founder Kevin Busque shares the early...

March 24, 2026

[23 Tactical Company Building Lessons, Learned From Scaling Stripe & Notion](https://review.firstround.com/23-tactical-company-building-lessons-learned-from-scaling-stripe-and-notion/)

From Stripe to Notion, Cristina Cordova has worked on some of the biggest products in tech. She shares tactical tidbits on what she’s learned about...

March 22, 2022

[Speed as a Habit](https://review.firstround.com/speed-as-a-habit/)

All things being equal, speed will determine whether your company succeeds or not. Here's how to make it core to your culture.

July 21, 2015

[The 6 Decision-Making Frameworks That Help Startup Leaders Tackle Tough Calls](https://review.firstround.com/the-6-decision-making-frameworks-that-help-startup-leaders-tackle-tough-calls/)

Startup leaders make tough calls every day. We spoke with 6 top operators to gather the tactics and strategies they use to make smart decisions under...

August 01, 2019

[How to be an Exceptional Chief of Staff: Advice for Scaling Impact at Startups](https://review.firstround.com/how-to-be-an-exceptional-chief-of-staff-advice-for-scaling-impact-at-startups/)

10 tactical tips and guiding principles for a new Chief of Staff to lean on as they scale their impact at a startup — from building better systems,...

December 20, 2022