Business

Hello again :)

It’s been a few months since I’ve posted anything here. Truth be told, I’ve been hyper-focused on other things besides writing. Not writing is a bad habit though. Writing is critical, and something I’ll be doing a lot more of. So, hello again 🙂 So what’s been taking up my time? My last post about … [Read more…]

The Path Of A Reluctant Data Scientist

I’m a self-described “reluctant data scientist”. Wait? Didn’t Harvard say that data scientist is the hottest job of the 21st century? Why would someone reluctantly claim title to the rockstar status, money, and glory that come along with being a data scientist? In my personal experience, there’s a big gap between data science hype and the … [Read more…]

Perfect Handstands and Hard Projects

Shareholder letters are an opportunity for a CEO to explain their company’s place in the universe, where they’ve been, and where they’re going. Twice a year, I drop everything and read shareholder letters from two of my favorite CEOs – Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos. They’re not just great CEOs (they’re excellent). They’re also world … [Read more…]

How To Deal With Tech Burnout

Tech burnout is real, and a lot of my friends working in tech are currently experiencing burnout in a major way. Friends of all personality dispositions, ages, technical skill sets, titles, and disciplines are all simultaneously burning out. Top caliber people and totally burned out. I think there’s something particular with tech burnout. The tech … [Read more…]

Bezos eats all (until he’s also eaten)

One of my recent pastimes is reading Amazon’s annual reports (because, who doesn’t like to do that at night?). One thing that’s struck me is that Bezos is this century’s Warren Buffett. He takes an extremely long view of things with a 21st century view and sticks to the basics – build a moat around … [Read more…]

Anecdotes on Asian Technology Use

Since I’m currently visiting Asia, here are some of my personal observations on Asian technology use. Not comprehensive or scientific, but just some things I’ve noticed on several visits over the years, across several countries. Mobile is king. I very rarely see desktop computers. The notion that Asia leapfrogged the desktop is very obvious. Everyone … [Read more…]

Company Culture Matters A Ton If You Want To Innovate

A short rant I thought about on my flight over to Asia. Several months ago, I met with a person who wanted me to pursue an opportunity with a company I felt had questionable culture. By questionable culture, I mean a reputation for dishonesty and CYA behavior amongst employees. Basically, a culture that leans more … [Read more…]

The Intelligence-Driven Company

This is the first post of a series on how companies can get smarter by using data. It begins with an audacious goal to inspire companies to move beyond the typical approach of building models and reports and allows all of us to explore the idea of the intelligence-driven company. Tl;dr Company decision making has … [Read more…]