On Sleep
I’m not a scientific expert on sleep. I don’t fully understand REM, sleep cycles, serotonin, or all the chemical elements. I’ve never done an ECG, and I don’...
Recent posts
I Am Addicted To Heroine
Addiction is a difficult thing to admit. It’s isolating, consuming, and often starts innocently—just a spark of curiosity. Curiosity becomes pleasure, pleasu...
On Walking
For the past year, I’ve been doing roughly 80% of my work while walking or riding my bike (except when my ACL and MCL injuries prevented it). While this appr...
It’s about time!
Yesterday I had a conversation that’s still on my mind. It was with someone I deeply respect - the kind of person who builds from solid foundations, takes ti...
On Singapore
As someone with libertarian views (with progressive social leanings) who values minimal government intervention and personal freedom, moving to Singapore was...
What We Learned from Esther Duflo’s Framework in Egypt
Esther Duflo won the Nobel Prize for her work in using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test and refine poverty alleviation strategies. Her approach em...
On Common Sense
Common sense is a tricky concept—often undervalued and misunderstood. People throw around the term like it means something is obvious or easy. But the truth ...
On AI Replacing Programmers
Once enough gray-haired people in Washington DC had installed ChatGPT on their phone, they became collectively conscious that this generative AI thing isn’t ...
On winning
This morning, I noticed that my daughter was crying in her room. She informed me that she had crushed her pinky finger in a drawer and it hurt badly.
From 20 To 100 Million Developers
Yesterday, I spent time at the home of a successful banker in Singapore who taught himself how to code in his 50s. He was joined by his top data scientist an...
On Integrity
I am currently writing a recommendation for an applicant to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. I’ve filled a number of those over the years for severa...
On Selling
I find it surprising when people seek my guidance on how to sell because selling isn’t what I consider part of my identity. I see myself as an individual con...
Quality Over Quantity at Conferences
Over 70,000 people are headed to Dubai for COP28. That’s overwhelming. Here’s the advice I’ve given my team at bld.ai, which has served me well in the past a...
bld.ai Journey
Five years ago, I left McKinsey as a first-year associate partner to launch bld.ai. Last year, we expanded to 500 members, generated $14 million in revenue a...
Cater, empower, and support collaboration in product design
Design is not reserved for designers alone; it’s a collaborative process that teams do together. Moreover, tasteful design isn’t limited to your latest “uniq...
Ambiguous jobs that require confidence pay more
Confidence is essential for success in knowledge work, which involves always learning, being creative, and problem solving. But what exactly is confidence, w...
The art of embracing speed
I often share the same guidance with teams at both bld.ai and l2m.vc, so I thought it would be valuable to discuss it here as well.
My story and how it shaped bld.ai
Have you ever been struck with the urge to share a story, but the thought of spending dozens of hours writing it down seems daunting? That’s exactly how I fe...
On being deeply authentic
If you have ever practiced yoga and meditation, which are central to Hinduism, Buddhism, or Jainism, you are probably familiar with the concept of a mantra. ...
Cognitive behavioral therapy and machine learning to speed up adult learning
Below is my original statement of purpose for my PhD. One day, I hope to have the time to conduct more academic research. Contact me (or send an email to res...
The fallacy of “no-code” tools
Computer science is the art of solving bigger problems with less effort.
Asynchronous vs synchronous communication, with some practical advice
As far back as we can see, people prefer to communicate important stuff in person as opposed to over a video conference call, or even in writing.
Finding your ASANA to win in the Age of Software
In my previous post on “building bespoke AI products to win in the Age of Software”, I discussed how innovative organizations invest significantly in buildin...
Building bespoke AI products to win in the age of software
The age of mass manufacturing forged a popular managerial mindset anchored on a belief that there exists an optimal flow for any business process. For instan...
The hardest lessons for startups to learn by Paul Graham
I’m very much a beginner when it comes to reading texts out loud, but I find it useful because it makes me remember the texts that I read better. Below I hav...
ACID can protect against computer hacking
It is hard to feel sympathy for black hat hackers who violate computer security with impunity for personal gain or malice. Their action (data breach, manipul...
Business Jiu-Jitsu: 9 cross disciplinary lessons
I’ve been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for 2 years at Gracie Barra under Prof. Sergio Costa, Master Pascoal Duarte, and Prof. Fabiano Carvalho. I’m s...
Deploy a Digital Twin in 6 Months for $1M USD
Whether you manage a fleet of cruise ships, an upstream oil & gas supply chain, a global retail store network, or a loyalty program for a large hotel cha...
Make a Great Product out of your Product Proposal - Part II
In Part I of this post, I proposed a framework for how to organize a product proposal; in Part II, I present few sample paragraphs which I have used before f...
Make a Great Product out of your Product Proposal - Part I
The primary role of a product proposal document is to get funding from a sponsor, regardless of who the sponsor is. Whether you are a new product manager at ...
Weave your Digital Transformations out of Silk
Aside from the tech giants, established corporations have achieved success without ever depending on their ability to write (good, user-centered) software fa...
Gifting Feedback from a Tea Shop
Giving good feedback to people around you (both at work and in your private life) can be an excellent time investment. If the people around you become strong...