Mamba in the Middle

The 24th edition of School Bulletin is about how to keep sharpening when the game gets faster

Preamble: Wearing 24

Kobe Bryant did not switch to 24 just because it was one more than Jordan. He chose it because it marked a second act. The young phenom in 8 had all the bounce and bravado in the world. By 24, he had the scars, the discipline, and the craft. He had rebuilt his body, studied film until dawn, and sharpened edges the league could not dull. He was not chasing greatness anymore. He was living it.

This edition is my own 24. Stresswood is not just about picking companies or sitting in the right rooms. It is about maturing craft, resisting shortcuts, and finding advantage in places most do not bother to look. Kobe had to battle A.I., Allen Iverson, and every GP today is battling a different AI, the kind rewriting the playbook from SaaS stability to a services-driven, breakneck market. I do not know which matchup was tougher. But the lesson is the same: if you do not deepen and reinvent your craft, the game passes you by.

Three essays for this edition. Together, they are my attempt to answer one question: how do you keep sharpening your game in an era that feels faster, noisier, and more fragile?

Essay 1: Services Weren’t Killed by AI. They Got the Crown.