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Storytelling is one of the most underrated skills in tech. Everyone’s building. Few can explain why it matters. Storytelling is the ultimate compression algorithm for human attention. Everything else (data, logic, tech) feeds into it, but if you can’t wrap it in a compelling narrative, nobody will give a shit. People think they make decisions based on facts, but they’re mostly responding to the…
So many brilliant folks I know stay unsuccessful because they undervalue the art of storytelling. The game has never rewarded raw intelligence. It rewards the people emotionally attuned enough to navigate power structures and shape consensus. We all craft stories. It’s how humans coordinate, cooperate, and create meaning. It's the hidden architecture of society. Money is the clearest example. It…
Today we face our own giant. Your brain is under attack by a trillion dollar adversary intent on destroying it. Algorithms built by the richest companies on earth, designed to do one thing: keep you staring at your screen. They have trillions of dollars, millions of data points, and armies of engineers working around the clock to hold your attention. You have a human brain that hasn't changed in…
Even when you've found something exciting to work on, working on it is not always straightforward. There will be times when some new idea makes you leap out of bed in the morning and get straight to work. But there will also be plenty of times when things aren't like that. You don't just put out your sail and get blown forward by inspiration. There are headwinds and currents and hidden shoals. So…
Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I will move the earth. Leverage in Today's World Forms of Leverage 1. Labor (permissioned) Other people working for you. Oldest form. Scales poorly—messy to manage, requires leadership, risk of mutiny. Inputs and outputs stay relatively coupled. 2. Capital (permissioned) Money multiplies every decision you make. Scales much better than labor.…
Humans are bad at forecasting decision trees, so start building and iterate quickly as you go. Fast speed + rapid iteration > extensive planning. Just bring things into existence and iterate quickly. This creates an immensely valuable feedback loop. When mistakes are corrected in real-time, the fastest path from 0 to 1 is simply one step at a time.
Dopamine from info gathering is a dangerous drug. Your entire life will change when you stop gathering information and start acting on the information you already have. People should stop obsessing over what books to read as if there are some secrets words to read somewhere. Words are way too sparse. Just think. Take an hour and think deeply, you will learn so much more. Other peoples written…
Most people live in permanent slight suffering because they're allergic to making any hard decision when doing nothing is also an option. Your brain won't even let you think clearly about it. Try to consider quitting your job or having the difficult conversation and your mind floods with emotion before you've formed the thought. That wall of anxiety isn't a side effect. It is the problem. The…
How to become an expert at anything through recursive knowledge gap filling: Choose project Recursively ask model about anything you dont intuitively understand Explain things back to find gaps in understanding Recursively ask model about anything you dont intuitively understand Explain things back to find gaps in understanding Repeat until you can explain [x] in simple terms. As the great Richard…
"We live in an era where a motivated 12-year-old can learn the basics of woodcraft, programming, or how to bake bread that would rival world-class bakeries. They can master nearly any mechanical system or any number of technical or artistic vocations, even if no mentor lives nearby. The limit is no longer some teacher or institution but a child’s own patience and interest, as well as the…