Agalia Tan

these days, the art of hanging out seems to be waning in cities.

A good editor is someone who uses deliberate subtraction to actually add life to the ideas, setting, plot, and characters.

The Latin root of the word decision — cis or cid — literally means "to cut" or "to kill."

Becoming an essentialist means making cutting, condensing, and correcting a natural part of our daily routine — making editing a natural ca... See more

‘Opportunity dances with people who are already on the dance floor’

Find another register of enjoyment

Life is so dull if it’s just “like” or “dislike.” Maybe the movie is riveting but you still hate it. Can you find “begrudging enjoyment?” You simply do not understand the outfit of that kid on the subway. Can you locate “would be compelling to someone who is not me”? How do you feel about the song that represents ... See more

The hardest part about being in a leadership position in a company is it requires this constant calibration of arrogance and humility. The arrogance to believe that we are going to build a more sublime internet but also the humility to know that there are many things that we will be wrong about. And it's hard because it's often not clear at what po... See more

But what if we built our timelines differently? Not just the standard checkpoints and milestones, but deliberate pause points. A week between strategy sessions to let insights settle. Three days after customer research to spot patterns. Time set aside not for more analysis or more creation, but for the vital work of integration. Those moments when ... See more