Image Line CEO Konstantin Kuhnek visits the FL Studio forums and subreddit every day to keep in touch with his users.

If you’re a music maker of a certain age, you’ve probably once dabbled in a pirated version of a little app called Fruity Loops. These days it’s called Florida studioKonstantin Kuhnke, is the man responsible for shepherding the leading digital audio workstation (DAW) into the modern era. As CEO of Image Line, the company behind FL Studio, Konstantin has overseen the introduction of a number of AI-powered features such as Separate the trunk And for her Gopher chatbot.

Before taking the reins at Image Line in 2022, Konstantin was President of Native Instruments, where he led the shift toward digital services, did a stint in marketing, and was a freelance music journalist for half a decade. Through it all, he tries to keep his ear to the ground, hanging out on the FL Studio forums, reading Reddit every day, and regularly reminding himself of FL Studio’s humble roots.

What is your indispensable tool (analog or digital, app or device)?

AirPods Pro. Calls, podcasts, walks, flights, and even controversially listening to music. It’s the only piece of technology that accompanies me almost all day. If I lose it, my productivity drops by about 40 percent.

What is the one thing you wish you could change about your phone?

New iOS Contacts UI. Apple somehow took something that required two obvious taps and turned it into a bunch of obscure UI elements that I’m afraid to constantly press. Am I getting older, or is the iPhone slowly getting worse as a phone?

What sites have you pinned to your tab bar?

Mostly internal dashboards, product docs, analytics, FL Studio forums, and Reddit. Checking them every morning has become muscle memory.

How many tabs do you have open now?

Thirty-four through two windows. They are regulated, though, which is an important distinction. One browser window is for work (too many tabs), and the other is for everything else (also too many tabs). No day ends with open tabs. Zero tab means I can finally sleep.

What social media platform do you use the most (if any)?

Reddit is the only place I still happily browse. It’s imperfect, but it’s still like the old Internet: people arguing about incredibly niche topics because they really care about them, mixed with really funny nonsense. I also spend a lot of time on YouTube and Substack, which is the best time to learn and stay updated.

LinkedIn comes with a CEO job. It’s helpful to learn to mentally filter the thought leadership generated by AI around what fatherhood has taught someone about B2B enterprise sales. You know the kind: one sentence. For each paragraph.

What is your happy place on the Internet?

Long press. the The New Yorker. Weekend FT. The Economist. Anyone who still thinks a complex topic deserves more than just a quick snapshot and thumbnail.

What’s your favorite gadget you’ve ever owned?

Maybe never, but definitely now: my Teenage Engineering OB-4 amplifier. It is a classic industrial design inspired by Dieter Rams’ philosophy of “weniger, aber besser” (less, but better). The built-in handle means I can carry it from room to room, which has recently made it my soundtrack to putting my daughter to sleep.

What’s a tech trend you wish would go away?

Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

The idea that replacing human creativity is somehow a noble endeavor completely misses the point. Writing, drawing, and making music are some of the most important human things we do. Technology should give people more ways to express themselves and unleash their creativity, not replace the creative process itself.

What creation are you most proud of?

Create environments where talented people can focus on building things that users really want and love.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“Many things can be true at the same time.”

We live in an economy optimized for certainty, anger, and instant opinions. Reality is usually much messier. Acknowledging that this is a much better starting point for solving problems than pretending that everything has a simple answer.

What do you do when you feel stuck?

Go for a walk, then sit down with a blank piece of paper and write down the problem. Breaking it down to first principles works surprisingly often. The rest usually resolves on its own after drinking coffee.

What’s the last piece of physical media you purchased?

Death recordsMF DOOM’s autobiography (I like it). Somehow, I’ve never been able to get into e-books, so I keep buying physical books.

What do you think is worth spending on?

Sports equipment. In my case, the Standert Pfadfinder steel bike.

What will your resume slogan be?

A failed DJ turns to helping others make music as a career.

What’s the last GIF or meme you used?

This pops up from time to time, and I recently forwarded it to someone. It’s funny because it’s true. Music owes a lot to Didier “Jules” Dambrin for his invention of FL Studio.