Hi, I’m Ella.

I read too much, I take notes on everything, and I keep five very short lists of people in AI who are doing genuinely great work.

What I do

I track five disciplines: Technical, Design, Research, Product and Growth. Each one gets a top five. That’s it. Twenty-five people, one grid, every pick linked to a public source so you can check my homework.

Why

Models get the headlines, but people are the signal. Behind every good release is a handful of builders who shipped it, designed it, proved it or got it into people’s hands. The superstars are often one or two levels below headlines. I want to make them easier to find.

I keep the lists short on purpose. Five is enough to be useful and few enough to actually read. And they rotate, because people keep doing great things and the lists should keep up.

How I pick

• Public work only: shipped products, published research, open-source code, talks and writing.
• Every status is cited. If I can’t source it, I mark it unverified or leave it out.
• I skew on launches and moves. Being on a list says someone is excellent. It doesn’t say they’re looking for a new opportunity.

I’m opinionated, and I’ll get things wrong sometimes. When I do, I fix them.

Stay in the loop

Subscribe to any of the five disciplines and I’ll email you when that list changes. Nothing else, no spam.

What’s next

AI is where I started. Other fields are on my reading pile, and each will get its own five-by-five when I’ve done enough homework.