The first episode of the "Operator's Playbook" features a conversation with Patrick McKenzie, hosted by Jamie Cuffe, focusing on the transformative power of software and the evolving role of operations professionals. McKenzie shares his journey into programming, inspired by a childhood fascination with the Nintendo Entertainment System and a self-taught approach using graph paper. He emphasizes the importance of working on projects and communities that bring personal fulfillment rather than just economic gains, and highlights his experience with Stripe Atlas, a platform to help businesses incorporate in Delaware. The discussion also touches on the critical but often undervalued role of operations professionals, arguing for a status upgrade similar to the evolution of sysadmins to DevOps engineers. Additionally, McKenzie recounts his involvement with VaccinateCA, a civic tech project that leveraged both human effort and technology to improve vaccine accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. While acknowledging the potential of AI, McKenzie remains skeptical of claims that it will eliminate programming jobs, advocating instead for a focus on creating business value and understanding the broader impact of software. The episode concludes with an invitation for audience feedback and introduces Retool's new collaboration features announced during their Developer Day event.