Writing & Thinking

Notes from the
engine room

Writing on fractional CTO engagements, MVP delivery, AI integration, and senior engineering practice. Real engagements, real numbers, no hype.

Mobile 12 min read

Why we still use React Native in 2026 (and when we don’t)

An engineer’s take on React Native in 2026. What the New Architecture actually changed, when RN is the right call, when native is, and where Flutter and web fit.

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AI Strategy 11 min read

When to add AI to your product, and when not to

A pragmatic guide to deciding whether AI belongs in your product. Five good reasons, five bad reasons, common failure modes, and what AI integration actually costs in 2026.

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Fractional CTO 12 min read

What a Fractional CTO actually does in the first 90 days

A week-by-week breakdown of what a real Fractional CTO does in the first 90 days of an engagement. Land and listen, write the audit, make the first big decision, set the cadence.

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MVP & Pricing 11 min read

How much does it cost to build an MVP in 2026? A practical breakdown

Real MVP pricing in 2026, from £4k discovery sprints to £50k+ multi-phase builds. What each tier gets you, what drives costs up or down, and red flags when someone quotes you.

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Coming soon

05 Rescuing a codebase from a previous agency: a playbook Recovery
06 How we delivered EDF Energy’s pilot in 93 days Case Study

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