The AI Tools I'm Building to Replace My Spreadsheets with Anish Acharya
Author: Chris Hutchins
May 13, 2026
Duration: 1:10:45
#278: Is AI making it possible for the average person to live a fully optimized life? Chris and Anish swap notes on how custom AI tools are replacing years of spreadsheets, and reshaping the way we work, learn, create, and relate to each other. They dig into why Chris has abandoned OpenClaw, the architecture mistakes almost everyone is making, and what happens when the subsidies on all these tools eventually go away.
Anish Acharya is a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, where he leads consumer and AI-native investing.
Link to Full Show Notes: https://chrishutchins.com/ai-tools-spreadsheets-anish-acharya/
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Resources Mentioned
AI tools and platforms
Claude
OpenAI Codex
ChatGPT
Gemini
Perplexity Computer
Cursor
OpenClaw
Tools Chris is using in his stack
CardPointers
1Password
Zapier
Apple Health
Notion
Dropbox
Travel and points tools
Google Flights
Seats.aero
Roame
ATH Podcast
#265: I Built an AI Assistant That Works While I Sleep
#275: The Custom Everything Era with Kevin Rose
Newsletter
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Email for questions, hacks, deals, and feedback: podcast@chrishutchins.com
Full Show Notes
(00:00) Introduction
(02:08) How Chris Replaced His Award-Flight Spreadsheets With an Agent
(04:20) Why Your AI Setup Should Be Platform-Agnostic
(07:13) Why Sub-Agents Don't Actually Make Sense
(13:29) Skills, Connectors, Projects, and Channels Explained
(17:29) Anish on the Two Big Breakthroughs: Coding Agents and Personal Agents
(18:29) Zero Marginal Cost of Doing Work
(21:01) Will Knowledge Get Less Democratized in the AI Era?
(22:17) The Four Layers of Personal AI: Knowledge, Data, Trust, and Connection
(24:35) The Black Pill: Do Most People Have Enough Agency for This?
(26:29) How Chris Connected His Own CardTool App to Claude
(32:07) The Family Video Montage Built From iMessages and Photos
(33:51) Reverse-Prompting and Breaking Tasks Into Discrete Steps
(36:35) Is AI Making Us More Connected, or Less?
(41:45) The Coming Flood of Bill Disputes, Appeals, and Speeding Tickets
(44:52) Gemini, OpenAI Apps, and Claude Connectors Compared
(47:03) The Hidden Power of Zapier's MCP Server
(50:20) Managing Logins and Sensitive Data Without Losing Sleep
(53:20) What's Still Not Possible With AI Today
(56:56) The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect Applied to AI
(01:00:11) The Subsidies Behind Your $20 ChatGPT Plan
(01:04:59) Evaluating the Actual Cost of AI
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