The rise of HI-ICs | Elena Verna (Lovable)

The gist

1. AI lets one person execute across design, engineering, marketing, and analysis by covering 1-2 areas deeply and iterating everywhere else.
   Lovable
2. The traditional IC-to-manager ladder is breaking because coordinating people now costs more than just building the thing yourself.
3. Five changes unlock this path: flat information access, authority tied to accountability, cross-functional scope, pay decoupled from headcount, and no approval chains for cheap experiments.
4. Elena Verna says 42 of 51 managers surveyed wanted to return to IC work, suggesting many were pushed into management rather than choosing it.