Most people don’t change their careers because they’re curious. They change because something breaks.
When I sat down with Tom Elliott on Builder Stories, he didn’t frame his journey into AI as a passion project or a lucky experiment. It started with a realization that the expertise his company had spent a decade building—expertise that once justified $200-an-hour rates—suddenly wasn’t scarce anymore. AI had flattened the value of what used to be “special,” and the business he thought he’d retire with no longer felt viable.
What followed was fear, urgency, and a willingness to learn fast because the alternative was worse. At 50, with no technical background and no safety net, Tom dove into AI not to chase trends, but to stay relevant. That decision reshaped how he works, what he builds, and how he thinks about expertise in an agent-driven world.
Tom recounted a pivotal moment when his company, Left Hook, faced an unexpected downturn.
"The niche expertise that made us worth $200 an hour as developers, it just stopped being so valuable," he shared. This was a wake-up call, highlighting the impact of AI on niche expertise and market value.
As Tom reflected on this shift, he realized that the business he had poured a decade into might not be the one he would retire on. This moment of clarity set the stage for a profound transformation.
Tom's story isn't just about professional change, but also personal growth. At 50, he found himself at a crossroads. "I am screwed. I'm 50 years old. I'm a liberal arts guy. I can't code," he confessed. This vulnerability resonated with me and likely with many listeners who have faced similar fears about adapting to new technologies.
He decided to dive headfirst into the world of AI, driven by the urgency of the situation. "It's incredible how fast you can turn yourself around when it's existential, when it's pay your mortgage time," he noted. This urgency became a powerful motivator, pushing him to learn and adapt quickly.
One of the most striking insights from our conversation was Tom's emphasis on the power of asking the right questions. "If you have the right questions to ask, if you know how to prompt, if you know how to tell the thing what you want in the first place, you go from being underskilled, to the master of the universe."
Tom's journey into AI was marked by a relentless curiosity. He spent countless hours experimenting with different tools and models, driven by a desire to understand and harness the potential of AI.
Tom's exploration of AI led him to building AI agents and experimenting with voice technology, eventually creating a voice agent named Molly to handle customer interactions for his new venture, Rescue Health. This project demonstrated the practical applications of AI in streamlining processes and enhancing user experiences.
"The best way to write a prompt is to ask the LLM how it wants you to prompt it," Tom advised, offering a practical tip for interacting with AI. This approach, known as meta-prompting, became a cornerstone of his work, allowing him to fine-tune AI interactions and achieve remarkable results.
Tom's story is a powerful reminder that AI isn't just for experts, but a transformative tool accessible to anyone willing to learn and adapt. Tom's journey from skepticism to mastery is a testament to the potential within each of us to embrace change and harness the power of AI.
For those of us in the AI community, Tom's story is both a challenge and an invitation. It challenges us to rethink our assumptions about expertise and value in the age of AI. It invites us to explore new possibilities, driven by curiosity and a willingness to learn.