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Why is quality so rare? - Linear Blog

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The following is adapted from a keynote talk I delivered at Config in May 2025. I've edited it slightly for clarity, but wanted to share these thoughts on craft, quality, and the choices we make as creators in an age of AI. The modern world has made huge advances in knowledge, technology, and skill. We can build faster than ever. We know more than ever. Yet quality still feels so rare. So many things feel unfinished, broken, or forgettable – why? That’s the question I've been trying to answer, almost my whole life. I remember as a kid, seeing bikes at the store, some of them just felt wrong. I couldn’t understand why someone would go through the effort of making something and not make it beautiful. Later in my life, I realized it’s because many don’t care, many opt for cost, and many just do what’s easy. What I was noticing, even as a child, was the presence or absence of craft. Before machines, everything was made by hand. A tool, a chair, a door. They reflected the skill and care tha

Skip to content → Now Craft Why is quality so rare? Karri Saarinen · May 27, 2025 The following is adapted from a keynote talk I delivered at Config in May 2025. I’ve edited it slightly for clarity, but wanted to share these thoughts on craft, quality, and the choices we make as creators in an age of AI. The modern world has made huge advances in knowledge, technology, and skill. We can build faster than ever. We know more than ever. Yet quality still feels so rare. So many things feel unfinished, broken, or forgettable – why? That’s the question I’ve been trying to answer, almost my whole lif

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