Principle Stash — Effective Utilization of LLMs

September 2, 2026Comic

Six panels. A mustachioed letter P sits on a desk labelled “Chief Prioritization Officer” addressing three expectant people. They guess it has summoned them for quantum gravity, animal consciousness or the three body problem; it rejects each. Its actual request is “sort my files alphabetically, but make P the first letter”. The room goes silent, someone asks “is…is that all?”, and P, now reclining with its feet up, adds “Oh, right, make no mistakes.” — Effective Utilization of LLMs
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Most of my token bill is a Nobel laureate alphabetizing my filing cabinet.

Appears in Where Does Software Engineering Go From Here? (Part 1)

Transcript

Panel 1 — P sits on a desk plated CHIEF PRIORITIZATION OFFICER, mug at its elbow, facing three assembled people: “I suppose you’re all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today.”

Panel 2 — The guesses come in. “Quantum gravity?” — “Close, but no.” “Animal consciousness.” — “Not that either.” “The three body problem.” — “More like three nos.”

Panel 3 — P: “Sort my files alphabetically, but make P the first letter.”

Panel 4 — Nobody says anything.

Panel 5 — “is…is that all?”

Panel 6 — P, now reclining with its feet up on the desk: “Oh, right, make no mistakes.”