Startups
Product, go-to-market, hiring, fundraising.
AI, security, and the people building both.
Posts on AI safety research, national security, and the startup ecosystem, from a researcher turned founder turned investor.
The #1 Cause for Startup Employee Turnover
Startups spend millions on craft beer and fancy offices while missing the one thing employees actually need to stay engaged and committed.
Startup Case Interview Gone Wrong: Why Top Candidates Walk Away
Free consulting work disguised as interviews. That's what most case studies have become. Here's the framework for doing it right, from both sides of the table.
Sharing Bad News with Employees: Why Transparency Wins Every Time
Revenue flatlined. Churn crept up. Three quarters of missed numbers. But at all-hands? Smiles, vision decks, and talk of 'short-term headwinds.' The cost of that mask was higher than any missed target.
Manufacturing Urgency
Without urgency, timelines slip. Decisions drag. Teams overbuild. Manufacturing deadlines that feel critical, even when they aren't, is the difference between shipping and stalling.
The Worst Startup Onboarding Mistake: Not Learning the Product
Most companies pressure new hires to deliver results in days. The best companies invest in deep product understanding first. One approach builds on quicksand. The other creates competitive advantages that compound.
The Defensibility Delusion: Why Being Essential Isn't Enough
Most founders confuse being essential with being defensible. The companies that survive understand the difference between workflow dependency and competitive moats.
The Startup Pitch Deck Slide Everyone Gets Wrong: Why Now" (And How to Fix It)
The difference between Spotify and failed music startups wasn't the idea... it was timing. Here's the framework that makes or breaks billion-dollar companies.