Ground Control.

A blog on AI, your job search, and building Orbyt.

Justin Bartak and Claude Code. Building Orbyt: AI-native in 32 days

Building Orbyt: One Person, AI-Native, 32 Days

A eleven-part series. I didn't write it. Claude did. 260,000+ lines of code. $400. One person. 32 days. This is what actually happened.

By Justin Bartak & Claude (Opus 4.6 and 4.7)

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Playbook

Ghost Jobs: How to Spot Postings That Will Never Hire (2026)

Roughly 1 in 5 postings on Greenhouse were ghost jobs. Use the 7-point Ghost Job Test to spot listings that never hire and stop wasting applications in 2026.

Playbook·11 min read·June 15, 2026

Industry

The 2026 AI Salary Premium: 9%, Measured Across 3,445 US Roles

AI roles pay a median $168,000 vs $154,000 for non-AI tech roles in 2026, a 9% premium. Data from 3,445 roles across 81 US cities, with open methodology.

Industry·10 min read·June 12, 2026

Industry

Claude Fable 5 and Your Job: What Actually Changed in June 2026

Claude Fable 5 won't take your job in 2026, but it changes what the job is made of. The career read on the Mythos-class launch from a one-person company.

Industry·11 min read·June 11, 2026

Series

Building Orbyt, Part 10: The Fit and Finish

The code was done. The tests passed. The audit scored 31/31. And the product was not ready. What two days of pixel-level polish taught me about the difference between working and finished.

Series·9 min read·April 16, 2026

Strategy

How Much Runway Do You Actually Need? The Real Math for a 2026 Job Search

The honest math behind surviving a job search in 2026. What runway actually is, how to calculate yours in ten minutes, how long the median search actually takes, and what to do when the numbers are tight.

Strategy·9 min read·April 10, 2026

Series

Building Orbyt, Part 9: The Rebrand

I named it Orbit. Then I Googled it. Gum, sprinklers, strollers, and three other software companies. The SEO ceiling was zero. Here is what a complete rebrand looks like when you treat it like an engineering problem.

Series·8 min read·April 7, 2026

Series

Building Orbyt, Part 8: The API

A Saturday at midnight, 22 endpoints in three hours, SSRF protection I did not ask for, and the moment Siri read my pipeline summary out loud in my office. This is how Orbyt became a platform.

Series·14 min read·April 4, 2026

Series

Building Orbyt, Part 7: The Human Testing

The week between 'it works' and 'it works for real people.' Cross-device sync bugs, Supabase Realtime crashes, twelve commits for one toggle, and why 95% is not a product.

Series·12 min read·April 2, 2026

Playbook

What Is a Job Search Tracker? The Definitive Guide for 2026

A job search tracker is a tool that organizes your applications, contacts, follow-ups, and interviews in one place. Learn what to look for, how the best trackers work, and why spreadsheets fall short.

Playbook·12 min read·March 30, 2026

Series

Building Orbyt, Part 6: The Things We Gave Away

Free tools, four-tier pricing, the Unlimited plan debate, and why the funnel starts with generosity. The growth strategy of a solo founder with zero users and zero budget.

Series·14 min read·March 26, 2026

Playbook

How to Prepare for Any Job Interview in 2026: The Complete Guide

A comprehensive interview preparation guide covering company research, the 5 questions you will be asked, what to ask the interviewer, and how to prepare the night before.

Playbook·8 min read·March 24, 2026

Playbook

What Is an ATS Resume Score and How Do You Improve Yours?

Learn what ATS resume scores really measure, why 75% of resumes never reach a human, and how to optimize yours with actionable fixes for the 5 most common mistakes.

Playbook·8 min read·March 24, 2026

The AI Lens. Justin Bartak's writing on AI

AI essays · By the founderJustin’s writing at justinbartak.ai →

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