Jason Liu, creator of the Instructor library, jokes that AI developers constantly tweaking setups are like car hobbyists
A shared chat joked car tuning is cheaper than AI
Many users extended the 'car guys' criticism of AI tool obsessives by labeling them 'Garage Troopers' or 'professional tinkerers' who prioritize setups and optimization over actual building or shipping.
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@jxnlco Garage Trooper
@jxnlco professional tinkerers
@jxnlco Yeah. Need to have meta-development for sure, but having a stable build to use daily is what matters.
@savrov Cli trooper
@jxnlco AI is the only field where 'optimizing the tool' has become a full-time job that replaces actually building something.
@jxnlco everyone "building in public" is also a car guy, they just don't know it yet
@jxnlco OK but counter-point - is there anything worth investing energy in apart from turning AI into a self-improving loop?
@jxnlco tools are only interesting when something actually ships
@jxnlco the car guys analogy is perfect lol. some people fall in love with the setup and never actually drive anywhere
@jxnlco encyclopedic bead on macros, skinny arms
@jxnlco 😭😭😭
@jxnlco tool shaped objects https://open.substack.com/pub/minutes/p/tool-shaped-objects
@jxnlco Yes. Tool discourse becomes a local maximum because it's legible and social. The harder question is: what new capability shipped, who used it, and what got permanently cheaper or faster because of it?
@jxnlco The toolbench became the personality. Shipping is still the part that bites.