How I Built a 299-Category Software Decision Engine
The B4 Index scores 299 software categories across 19 domains. Here's the framework, the build process, and what the data tells you about where AI is reshaping software decisions.
I build at the intersection
of marketing, technology,
and AI.
I'm Ben Roberts — CMTO at a mid-market manufacturer, where I run both marketing and technology. I write about what happens when AI reshapes how companies build, buy, and operate software. I also build things myself, because the best way to understand a shift is to live inside it.
What I'm Working On
Book
Build or Buy
A practical framework for software decisions in the AI era. Why the five reasons we've always bought software are dissolving.
FrameworkThe B4 Framework™
Build, Buy, Bridge, or Beware. A four-quadrant decision model I created for evaluating every tool in your stack.
NewsletterThe Build Report
Bi-weekly category analysis, market shifts, and real operator insights on software decisions.
Latest Writing
View all →What If You Built Your Own Operating System for Life?
The tools to build custom software for your specific workflows are now cheap enough and fast enough that the question applies to your personal life too.
Why I'm Writing About Build or Buy
The software stack is bloated. AI changed the math. Here's why I built a framework for the decisions that matter.
The Build Report
Bi-weekly analysis of software categories through the B4 Framework. What to build, what to buy, and how to leverage AI to make better decisions for your company.
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