Quoting Matt Webb
- ID
- 16445
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 21 Aug 2026, 11:06 PM
- Fetched
- 21 Aug 2026, 11:39 PM
- Provider
- Simon Willison
- Category
- developer-ai
- Original URL
- https://simonwillison.net/2026/Aug/21/matt-webb/
- Source URL
- https://simonwillison.net/atom/everything/
Summary
- Score
- 5.0
- Created
- 21 Aug 2026, 11:39 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_codersai_ml_learners
What happened
Matt Webb describes building Galactic Compass 2's new AR mode, where he needed quaternions but couldn't learn them from books or mathematician friends. He sat down with ChatGPT not to write the code but to educate himself, and it acted as a patient interactive tutor that finally got him over the hump. He frames this as evidence that outsourcing thinking to AI doesn't stop learning—it pushes you to learn more.
Why it matters
The actionable takeaway is narrow but real: when you hit a concept you can't crack from documentation or colleagues, try using an LLM as a Socratic tutor—asking it to explain and quiz you rather than generate code. This is a workflow choice, not a tooling change, so it won't affect everyone's stack or decisions.
Discussion angle
Compare two modes of working with LLMs—'write the code for me' vs 'teach me the concept so I can write it'—and when each actually pays off for shipping vs long-term skill-building.