Kyle Rush

Never run queries without a timeout. A single rogue query or load spike can lead to stalls or app downtime without them. Let's think through why. Consider with case where a long-running query gets inadvertently introduced into our app. The database typically processes only short-lived queries (10ms or less) and suddenly we have a new query that takes 1000ms per execution. Not only will this hog resources, but will shoot up the number of simultaneous transactions. We'll either hit connection limits, txn limits, or use 100% of the database cpu / iops. Now consider the same scenario, but we place a 250ms timeout on every transaction (database-side), with exponential backoff retry logic + jitter (app-side). We've now limited the blast radius of any single query. Long-running queries will get killed, and the backoff logic minimizes the risk of thundering herds. By monitoring these timeouts, we can quickly identify the problematic query and roll back the change.

My timeline jumped from Cursor → Claude Code → Codex in a matter of months. Coding agents have zero switching costs. It’s a race to the bottom. Honestly, they should start offering frequent-flyer miles for prompts to retain users.

Nearly every ambitious person I know who has dived into AI is working harder than ever, and longer hours than ever. Fascinating dynamic tbh. I have NEVER worked this hard, nor had this much fun with work.

YC just dropped a new application question for the Spring 2026 batch "Attach a coding agent session you're particularly proud of"