Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
It is no secret that I believe that the United States should have a very different firearms policy. I’m not going to litigate that today. What I am going to do is to criticize gun rights advocates for what I believe is a fundamental dishonesty in their approach. Whenever a terrible gun-related tragedy happens, I … Continue reading Why There Isn’t More Honest Gun Advocacy
I have a confession: I almost never feel imposter syndrome. I feel like that means I should be grateful, and believe me, I am. But that begs the question, how can I best contribute to International Imposter Syndrome Day? It’s hard to write a consoling essay on overcoming imposter syndrome when I have so little … Continue reading Five Ways To Inoculate Yourself Against Imposter Syndrome
Fascinating tidbit from Scott Barry Kaufman via Whitney Johnson’s podcast: We like people best if they start off cool or indifferent to us and warm up over time. We dislike people the most if they start off being friendly to us, then ice us out. This helps illuminate something that I have noticed, but never … Continue reading Why Too Much Enthusiasm Breeds Dislike
I have two degrees from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, but I often tell audiences that my work in improvisational comedy has been more impactful on my career than any of those diplomas. I feel very fortunate that I came across improv when I was a freshman at Stanford. Unlike some … Continue reading Improv and Entrepreneurship
We’re in a buyer’s market for capital these days, which means that every day I read headlines about how Startup X raised Y million at a Z billion-dollar valuation from Funds A, B, and Tiger Global. It’s very easy for first-time entrepreneurs to read these headlines and think that the most important number is Z, … Continue reading Choosing a VC based on valuation is like hiring the cheapest job candidate
We are now reaching the point in the hype cycle where I am being asked my opinion of Web3 at least three times every day, whether in a virtual event, or when catching up with old friends. In the interest of efficiency, I’m laying out some of my current thinking. You may find it useful. … Continue reading Web3: Be Skeptical, Not Dismissive
The Green Bay Packers, a famous American football team, recently began a stock sale. The Packers are the only publicly-owned franchise in the National Football League, with over 360,000 individual shareholders. This is the sixth stock sale in franchise history, with previous sales occurring in 1923, 1935, 1950, 1997 and 2011. It’s important to note … Continue reading What Green Bay Packers “Stock” Can Teach Us About NFTs
The problem with the Facebook algorithm is that it optimizes for user engagement, without bothering to consider whether that engagement is positive or negative. Content that we find deceptive and/or outrageous causes us (or me at least) to immediately begin typing furious responses, which causes the algorithm to serve up more of that sweet, sweet … Continue reading How To Fix Facebook: Let Us Dislike
In adapting Isaac Asimov’s Foundation to the screen, David Goyer changed the story a lot from the original book. I don’t have any issues with gender flipping characters like Gaal Dornick or Salvor Hardin. I don’t mind the addition of clone emperors (I actually rather like the Cleon story lines). I don’t even mind changing … Continue reading Apple TV+’s Foundation
Spoiler alert! The following notes include the key plot details of Ted Lasso Season 2, Episode 11. Assuming my schedule permits, I plan to use them when helping to lead a Clubhouse discussion on October 3. Midnight Train to Royston Ted: Trains the team to perform a routine to “Bye, Bye, Bye.” When Dr. Sharon … Continue reading Ted Lasso, Season 2 Episode 11: Midnight Train to Royston