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Everything You Need to Know About Context Engineering in 40 Minutes | Ravi Mehta

May 3, 2026 · 39 min

Show notes

Ravi is a top AI instructor and former CPO of Tinder. In our episode, he did a live demo of using his 3-layer context engineering system (functional, visual, data) to build a beautiful music app instead of the usual AI slop. You’ll never build with AI the same way again after learning about Ravi’s approach.

Ravi and I talked about:

(00:00) Why most AI prototypes feel like slop

(01:08) Context engineering, explained from first principles

(05:12) Layer 1 demo: Functional context

(09:38) Layer 2 demo: Visual context

(13:31) Layer 3 demo: Data context

(15:47) Building a custom MCP server in Claude Code

(19:54) The full stack prompt: all 3 layers in one shot

(24:21) Why separating the data layer is the real unlock

(28:59) Should PMs prototype or just ship to production?

(33:51) Where PRDs still fit in AI native product development


Thanks to our sponsors:

Wispr Flow: Don't type, just speak https://ref.wisprflow.ai/peteryang

Linear: The AI agent platform for modern teams https://linear.app/behind-the-craft

Granola: The AI meeting notes app that saves you hours. https://granola.ai/peter


📌 Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/three-layer-system-for-context-engineering-ravi-mehta

Where to find Ravi:

X: https://x.com/ravi_mehta

Website: https://www.ravi-mehta.com/


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