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Jason Yuan

What Jason Yuan thinks about design

@jason-yuan · 18 positions · 0 changes of mind

Designer and founder of Hivemind, a social AI that talks one-on-one with many people at once, and earlier co-founder of New Computer, maker of the Dot assistant.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Jason Yuan did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

9 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Jason Yuan has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingSlop and random gradients cannot just be shipped; random gradients feel so 2016.

    Their wordsWe can't just like ship slop. We can't just have like have random gradients. Like that's so 2016.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 2nd of 18 in this recording

  3. Our readingEverything is art when done well; at the highest levels of any craft, whether design, research or engineering, the work looks more like art.

    Their wordslooks more like art. I would say like Ilas Kever is one of the greatest artist of our generation even though people consider him a researcher. I think everything is art when you do it well.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 4th of 18 in this recording

  5. Our readingUsers do not know what they want, so the job is to give people opportunities to tell you things without telling you things, rather than doing user research in a traditional sense.

    Their wordsI don't really do user research in a traditional sense because I don't think users know what they want. Your job is to figure it out. So, you should just give people opportunities to tell you things without telling you things.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 7th of 18 in this recording

  7. Our readingToo obvious feels condescending to people; designers should not talk down to the people they make work for.

    Their wordstoo obvious to me feels condescending to people I hate reading children's books or children's novels that are written because the author thinks children are dumb

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 8th of 18 in this recording

  9. Our readingThe design and product process has been made so much into a science over the years that much of its artistry has been lost.

    Their wordswe've made the design and product process into so much of a science over the years that we we've lost a lot of the artistry behind it

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 10th of 18 in this recording

  11. Our readingAI models want to add or patch as a form of making better, whereas the design process is really about editing away.

    Their wordsthe AI models they want to add. They want to add or patch as a form of making better. But I I I think the design process is really about editing away.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 11th of 18 in this recording

  13. Our readingTaste is editing with a point of view.

    taste

    Their wordswhen people talk online about taste, taste, taste, taste, taste. All taste is, I think, is editing from with a point of view.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 12th of 18 in this recording

  15. Our readingIn many sectors of design, especially high culture and high design, people seem to have contempt towards the human experience.

    Their wordsin so many sectors of design, especially high culture and high design, people seem to have contempt towards the human experience.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 16th of 18 in this recording

  17. Our readingSomething about design, especially high design now, feels utterly sexless: sanding away anything arousing or objectionable creates essentially nothing, which is the ultimate slop.

    Their wordsI think there's something about design, especially high design now, that feels utterly sexless. There's no desire. There's no lust. We've sanded away anything that could potentially be arousing, but also we've sanded away anything that feels, I guess, objectionable, but in doing so, we've created essentially nothing. And to me that is the ultimate slop.

    ↗Jason Yuan - Designing 99 "No"s for a single "Yes"youtube.com 18th of 18 in this recording