san francisco has a strange gravity, attracting people who want to build the future, and also those who want to be seen building the future. the result is a city that can feel incredibly performative, especially within the startup bubble.

a lot of “founders” aren’t actually building much. instead, they’re posting, going from one event to the other,... See more

Finally, the topic of balance isn’t complete without discussing work-life balance. In startups, especially for founders where the lines between work and life often blur, achieving this balance can feel elusive. Yet it’s essential to sustainable success. True balance isn’t about rigidly separating work from life - it’s about integrating the two in a

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My interviews were often not about work or software at all – one of my interviews we just spent an hour talking about Wittgenstein. Note that both Peter Thiel and Alex Karp were philosophy grads. Thiel’s lecture notes had come out not long before (https://blakemasters.tumblr.com/peter-thiels-cs183-startup) and they discussed Shakespeare, Tolstoy,... See more