Sam Liebeskind

The human eye is one of the most sophisticated optical instruments in existence. It automatically adjusts focus, adapts to light levels from pitch darkness to blinding sunshine, and processes information in real time. No engineer designed it. It evolved — 3.5 billion years of tiny improvements, each one barely noticeable, accumulating into... See more

Algorithmic feeds: good or bad?

Many people claim they just want a chronological feed, but studies consistently show the vast majority of people prefer algorithmic recommendations, because they surface more of what users actually want, compared to chronological feeds.

That said, it’s not as simple as “algorithms good.” There’s evidence that... See more

When popularity is in the driver’s seat without other values that complement and constrain it, we risk falling into what author and neuroscientist Erik Hoel calls a “gossip trap.” In a gossip trap, raw social power takes precedence over other ways of organizing society, returning us to a world of tribes and clans where reputation management and... See more

Software projects can be thought of as having two distinct stages: figuring out what to build (build the right product), and building it (building the product right). The first stage is dominated by product discovery, and the second stage is all about execution

a great prototype is worth 100 meetings.