For more on building AI products and careers, along with early course announcement and special pricing, subscribe to the AI Career Boost mailing list at https://aicareerboost.com/interested
THE GUEST
Dave Stys is a product leader with one of the most fascinating paths into tech—starting his career calibrating instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope before moving into reimagining the future of email at AWeber. Blending scientific precision with sharp marketing instincts, Dave has led initiatives in dynamic content, AMP for email, and deliverability. Now, he's stepping into a bold new chapter, exploring how AI can enhance content creation and streamline product workflows across the email ecosystem. Whether he’s mentoring teams or decoding spam signals, Dave is shaping the future of communication one message at a time.
THE SUMMARY
Prototype First, Permission Later: Dave didn’t wait for roadmap approval—he just built it. His AI newsletter builder solved a real problem, got internal traction, and shipped. Action beats alignment.
Blank Pages Kill Momentum: Email editors shouldn’t feel like Photoshop. Dave’s AI-generated “block layouts” let users skip the design paralysis and drop in beautiful, functional content instantly.
Cursor Over No-Code: No-code tools felt like config hell. Cursor gave Dave just enough coding power to move fast without being an engineer. The takeaway: pick tools that suit how you think.
Real Adoption = No Edits: Users hit “send” on AI-generated emails without changing a word. That’s the bar for useful AI—not engagement, not hype—trust.
Don’t Chase the Shiny Stuff: AI image generation wasn’t ready—yet. Dave’s experiments bombed early on. Know where AI adds value now, and where it still lags.
Invest, Then Build: Whether it’s buying a tool, joining a course, or staying up late, Dave’s message is simple: no one’s coming to upgrade you. Do it yourself.
THE SHOW
Weekly conversations with the AI’s top product leaders. Join Polly Allen as she discovers the paths to success in the world of AI.
THE LINKS
Have a question you want us to answer? Send it through to support@aicareerboost.com
Dave Stys
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dstys
Website: https://www.aweber.com/
My links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pollymallen/
AI Career Boost: https://www.aicareerboost.com/
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.