<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>James Gong — Notes from the factory floor</title><description>Short essays on manufacturing, NPI and the decisions that decide whether an AI hardware product ships.</description><link>https://jamesy.me/</link><language>en-us</language><copyright>© 2026 James Gong</copyright><item><title>Tooling is the real decision</title><link>https://jamesy.me/writing/tooling-is-the-real-decision/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://jamesy.me/writing/tooling-is-the-real-decision/</guid><description>Every hardware program has one irreversible moment. Founders tend to discover it on the invoice.</description><pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Manufacturing</category></item><item><title>The six-month lead time is usually a communication problem</title><link>https://jamesy.me/writing/lead-time-is-a-communication-problem/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://jamesy.me/writing/lead-time-is-a-communication-problem/</guid><description>Factories are slower than they look and faster than founders believe. The gap is rarely the line — it&apos;s the loop in front of it.</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Supply chain</category></item><item><title>From term sheets to tooling</title><link>https://jamesy.me/writing/from-term-sheets-to-tooling/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://jamesy.me/writing/from-term-sheets-to-tooling/</guid><description>What underwriting companies from the outside teaches you — and the one thing it cannot.</description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Career</category></item></channel></rss>