Konstantin Klyagin has spent more than two decades building software for other companies, and lately he’s also been fixing more of what AI helps people build.
Through his agencies Redwerk and QAwerk, he sees what happens after the prototype looks convincing and real users start doing things you didn’t expect. Something that worked perfectly in a demo suddenly starts failing in ways you didn’t expect, from payments to duplicated bookings.
That’s why Konstantin sees AI as a multiplier. It can help you build more, but it can also lead you astray with a bad decision before you realise you’ve misunderstood what people actually need.
For founders, that shifts more of the work towards deciding what deserves to be built in the first place. Konstantin thinks talking to users matters even more now, especially when almost anyone can turn an idea into working software without spending months getting there.
In our conversation, Konstantin explains where vibe-coded products start to break, what still needs proper technical experience and how he thinks about building a software business when AI is available to everyone.
We also get into how he’s run the business over 21 years without outside funding, why he avoids hiring ahead of demand and what COVID and the war in Ukraine taught him about adapting when circumstances change underneath you.
🔗 Find Konstantin on LinkedIn
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Key takeaways
1️⃣ AI makes bad decisions faster
Konstantin sees AI as an accelerator for whatever is already happening inside the business. If you understand the problem and know what users need, it helps you move further. If the thinking is weak, it helps you create more problems before you notice.
2️⃣ The demo can lie
Vibe coding can get you surprisingly far, especially for demos and early testing. Konstantin has seen products that look finished on screen while basic workflows fail once real users arrive.
3️⃣ Knowing what to build is the edge
When almost anyone can ship software, the bigger advantage comes from understanding your users well enough to know which problems are worth solving. More features don’t help if nobody needs them.
4️⃣ Your prototype still needs proper engineering
AI can move the point where you need a CTO or experienced developer much later. Once the product has real users and needs to work reliably, you still need people who understand the architecture and what’s happening underneath.
5️⃣ Don’t build for a business you don’t have yet
Konstantin has spent 21 years growing without outside funding and avoids hiring before the work is there. That same thinking applies to software: solve the problems you actually have instead of spending heavily on a future version of the business that may never arrive.
In this episode
00:00 Introduction to Konstantin Klyagin
01:59 DataForSEO sponsor message
03:21 More code doesn’t mean more progress
05:27 Build what users actually need
07:20 A prototype can look finished and still fail
10:45 AI multiplies bad decisions too
13:02 When you still need a CTO
17:52 Don’t hire ahead of demand
21:48 Understanding the customer becomes the edge
25:51 DataForSEO sponsor message
26:06 AI doesn’t belong everywhere
❤️ Thanks to DataForSEO for sponsoring this episode.
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