Sachit Bhat

2026 Ins and Outs

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Ins

serendipity
golf (personal)
the G-Train
rituals
physical books (now and always)
touching grass (and books, and foods, and notebooks, and pottery)
learning in public
thoughtful opinions (and not judging other’s opinions)
Sober(ish) partying and experiences
Vanderbilt sports
family time!
systems thinking
long board games (always)
swimming
intentionality and focus
yelling about exorbitant pricing of overrated NYC activities
Costco
LGA
Empower (ride sharing)
dumb phones
IRL movies
James Beard
Personal brand
profitability
pinterest boards
time away from computers (including during work hours)
writing

outs

comparison
slop bowls
bathhouses
consuming
leetcode
consumer AI photo/video
Sunac grocer (I despise them and their monopoly in Lorimer)
multitasking
JFK
“shoulds”
Doordash
dopamine stacking
youtube videos between 5-20 minutes (shorter/longer are ok)
michelin stars
hustle culture

Did It Before It Was Cool

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:00:00 GMT

There’s a growing contingent of AI-native companies and services, some pushing the bounds of creativity and expression.

Sora is releasing mind-bending, production-ready clips from a simple prompt:

Watch on YouTube

Suno is dropping bangers, including my recent hit prompted by “chill couch vibes as I sit back and eat potato chips while watching TV. edm chillout”:

Couch Potato | Suno

I laughed at the idea of a prompt engineer becoming the ‘Hot, New High-Paying’ job in tech, but I think there to be a broader truth behind it. Building, writing, creating, and doing have been resolved into a simple series of prompts. Explicit, well-defined work tasks can and often should be outsourced to LLMs. No longer should a software engineer be optimizing a loop, a writer cleaning up syntax, a translator having to write/annotate texts manually, or a copywriter creating and testing copy. Crafting work will translate to crafting asks.

Source: Every

Soon enough, we’ll see LLMs taking over longer-form, complex work, including rewriting books with a certain flare and creative liberty or sequels to hit movies. The range of motion will expand and quickly corrupt the long-developed skills of standard craftsmen (designers, artists, writers).

There are obvious hints that the next generation of companies will be AI-native or AI-augmented, though I expect quick shifts in the nature and aspects of work at the present moment. For the millions of craftsmen who’ve built and shared that work publicly, there’s likely a growing proportion that could be easily redone by a well-prompted AI (think research papers, accounting decks, company designs, musical beats). Quickly, we’ll lose the necessity of craft, friction, and the toils of defining personal feel before releasing work out in the open. Creative strategy work will continue to exist - determining how companies want a brand to look and feel, the general strategy for generating sales pipeline, or learning and creating a song. Just a few months ago I wrote about the want to produce music. The desire is still there, but the activation energy to start from scratch when I can get to 90% in a few minutes makes it a true personal undertaking.

It’s a sad reality, and I may be wrong. But in a couple of years, when research arms turn into research individuals orchestrating AI agents, and designs are simply left to a prompted UI, we’ll think back to when such obviously ‘automatable’ tasks and jobs were meticulously worked on by such talented creatives.

Every released a nice read on the one-person billion-dollar company. It is highly resonant, and a north star for what can be done (potentially not should be done). Crafting will become orchestrating, thinking through each arm of the business as a system with inputs and outputs, and building or buying AI tools to work on those tasks. Agents have proven capability of iterating on less defined tasks, so tasks like figuring out a way to deploy a certain software can likely be achieved without needing a developer resource.

With that, I don’t think the goal should be billion-dollar outcomes. The goal should be on well-crafted, self-sustaining businesses that solve specific user needs.

The One-person Billion-dollar Company

Why This is Exciting

Entrepreneurship should be about solving problems efficiently and resourcefully. Most venture firms require billion-dollar + valuations to justify their investments, meaning many companies, even those that have solved a problem for customers, simply cannot monetize to the scale worthy of a venture return. This is a sad reality for many worthy companies solving real problems. AI tools expedite workflows and ideally address the pressing use cases for a small set of customers sustainably.

Solopreneurship is taking new meaning, and the spaces and wedges to operate are expanding. Corollary to this - unbundling has its problems.

Update (April 2024)

Every’s more recent article touches on a similar topic. Replace technical with ‘Design,’ ‘GTM,’ ‘Marketing’ and it fits nicely. The craft is now articulation and definition, alongside a recognition of the gaps. Also exposes what a concern around learned hard skills. Much of my undergrad CS work revolved around work that could be easily automated (debugging, implementation, etc.). Why learn to wade through the muddy waters of learning difficult coding concepts (including working through errors, finding bugs) when there is a free partner who can do it for you?

Incentives

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT

The last year++ has been tough for tech. No need to belabor the point that’s been made again and again and again (and again).

It’s not the eternal doomsday that some may deem it to be. Things will bounce back. That’s how markets work. However, adjustments take time and a non-negligible number of years to find that past ‘equilibrium’ (more aptly, dis-equilibrium). I joined Retool pre-unicorn status and saw it grow ~3x in headcount and valuation within a year. Seeing those shifts was exciting and fit the hyper-growth trajectory and story I had long awaited to experience.

Fast-forward to today. The $3 billion valuation (intentionally lower than what could have been a ~2x multiple of that) represents an aggravated revenue multiple, and a shared realization of the objective numbers to maintain such stature. Unlike the breadth of once high-flying uni/deca corns now having to accept their dire fate, Retool didn’t shoot itself in the foot. We’re somewhat within striking distance of our previous price, though the thought of that $10 (and for some friends circa 2022, ~$30) billion-dollar valuation expectations can be a thing of the past (or re-inflated 5-10 year future, we’ll see).

Source: MostlyMetrics

Currently, my head is still in it. I joined because I still believe in the product and mission, and there are ways to go on GTM. We began shifting our focus toward the enterprise and are spending this year hardening our ships from last year. While the market changes are tangibly felt, there’s ample opportunity ahead with the same light at the end of the tunnel (albeit, a slightly dimmer path).

However, I reflect on the realities of the many companies subject to significant down-rounds and/or shutdowns. Many are filled with quality talent, who took the leap from big-tech or other roles to join that mission and potentially lucrative outcomes. Yet the obvious truth is worth magnifying. The outcomes and equity drive many such operators to the messiness of startups. Many (including myself) predicated our decisions on the last decade of tech's fruitfulness and viable liquidation options. Yet 2024 and the coming years reveal:

Liquidation options are scrutinized and more difficult to come by
The public market has tightened, and revenue, growth, and long-term sustainability of companies have come back into clear view for potential investors
M&A for larger cap companies has become more strict. Antitrust regulations mixed with a healthy dose of cost-saving have made the path to a large acquisition rare. There will be a ton of cleanup for cheap startups looking for a quick exit, but I’m more curious about the potential for steadily growing $1-5B companies in which acquisition could make sense (e.g., Retool to FAANG)
Liquidation events are less lucrative

This second point is the more alarming. I don’t expect to see a liquidation event for any recent startup. Valuations largely depend on the revenue and/or growth of a company. If we return to even a ~10x forward revenue multiple across sectors, the volume of notably large (~1 billion) liquidation events will suffer. The unicorn status was and should represent something special rather than a quick milestone in an early round. As LPs more meticulously track investments, there will be an increasing focus on venture returns, which could influence some early selling and short-term thinking. I fundamentally believe in championing innovation, though I do worry that the current market will take time to catch up to the new realities of startup → liquidation path, and employee financial incentives. Of course, this could differ for early employees and high-ups, but more so for the ‘middle-class’ of startup operators. This has ripple effects, as talent won’t have the same downstream throughput and latency from big tech to startups, affecting the quality and ability of the team to execute (and get to those even harder milestones).

Similarly, I wonder how drastically this affects investing options and strategies. In a market where few winners should return the fund, where will these needles in the haystack come from and how they’ll mutually benefit all parties (founders, operators, investors). I'm less privy to the investment side (I know many investing models exist).

I’m still processing some of these feelings, as I still enjoy the work and have some ownership in a 0-1 space, but it’s been a journey in living through the changing realities of this system.

Many of my thoughts were induced by the following article.

Changes To Investing In AI: Why I'm Moving Away From Early Stage Investing and Analysis

@rohitdotmittal on X ↗

Sentry

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Guest post for the Technically publication

Temporal Technologies

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMT

Research Breakdown for Contrary Research

Some Things I Want to Do

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:00:00 GMT

I originally started writing a post that was titled ‘Optionality’. It was meant to capture (and what has proven more drastically so in NY) the immense breadth of options that we are subject to in our lives - people, relationships, jobs, meals, clothing, spending, values, worries, beliefs, anti-beliefs, music, routines, diet, etc etc etc. Undending list. A peek into any one option unveils hundreds of sub-options same insidious decision-making process. Optionality is great, to an extent.

Marc Andreessen has written:

“The world is a very malleable place. If you know what you want, and you go for it with maximum energy and drive and passion, the world will often reconfigure itself around you much more quickly and easily than you would think.”

I believe this to be true. Given a long enough time horizon and strong enough conviction, I’m still convinced in one’s ability to achieve anything they truly, genuinely want (which is very different from doing something because it is cool/others are doing it).

That said, the optionality stands in its way! The classic Paradox of Choice maintains that the multitude of options requires more energy and effort to make a decision and ultimately leaves one feeling unhappy with the decision. I’ve also felt this true - every time I’ve moved to a new city (now on my fourth), I’ve appreciated the new while simultaneously second-guessed some of the decisions and tradeoffs. Plus, the tradeoffs of decisions compound - most of the charts that Tim Urban posts give me chills, but I’ve found this one profoundly resonant (and chilling).

@waitbutwhy on X ↗

My family (again, all practicing doctors) was equally shocked as they were impressed by the velocity at which I could, in the same job, pack my bags and move across coasts (~3 months from initial musing to one-way flight). I do think, that at least in certain job types and roles, the world can be extremely malleable given the right level of effort and will. But the difficulty exists in finding truthful conviction - taking in the accumulated skills, opportunity costs, time horizon, and journey ahead to finally achieve that outcome. These decisions exacerbate with age and the opportunity costs do compound.

Most of the large decisions I make are intuitive - they creep on me, until the feeling of not pursuing (regret) it would outweigh the difficulty of going after it.

So?

I thought I’d write out a few things (I think) I want to do. Hopefully, I will find a path to obtaining them or realizing they’re not worth the squeeze.

Sachit’s (Living) Arbitrary List of Things He Wants to Do

Run a marathon (likely NY, Chicago, or Berlin)
Work in a restaurant (line cook, etc)
Work More Closely With, or In, Product — I’ve been working in a GTM capacity for the last 3+ years. Ready to dip my toes into the innards of what makes GTM such a fun one
Learn to DJ and Produce Music (and play once in public) — Recently bought a Novation Launchkey Mini and some inexpensive speakers
Launch an app, website, or service that generates >1k MRR — Less about the money, and more about learning about building something society values. I also am convinced the cost of launching a functioning prototype is down to a few hours of AI prompting and fine-tuning (update: this seems like a worthy side quest) — (Update - March ‘22: Feeling more bullish on this one, seeing patterns emerge to support this thought)
Dunk — I’ve dunked once in my life in ninth grade and it’s been downhill since. Old man mode
Keep Writing — I don’t have a metric for this because I’m sure I will feel if I have slowed considerably
Host a (and hopefully more) dinner party(ies) for my friends — Lifelong skill!
Fluently learn either Spanish or Hindi (ideally both….) — I was somewhat versed in Spanish in high school until I forgot everything. I do think there is a massive market for an AI-derived language learning platform. Tools like Eleven-labs on top of some core prompts could create a dynamic, individualized lesson plan

Algolia

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Guest post for the Technically publication

Seattle

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:00:00 GMT

I visited Seattle for just the second time ever last week! I didn’t have much time to plan out or map spots as it was a last-minute work trip (coast to coast just one week after my move 🥲), but was quite fun! Some random thoughts:

Work (I was there for work, visiting and building with a customer for an upcoming launch): Retool has traditionally sold to high-growth tech companies. Until just a few months ago, 9/10 of our largest customers (by spend) were tech-forward companies (think most of the tech startups that bloat TechCrunch).

The onsite was a real onsite, in a warehouse, rebuilding a flow for an extremely manual, operational-intensive procedure. We built out the majority of an order-processing app in Retool, replacing nearly unusable (15+ seconds to even load) software paired with manual steps the 100s of daily orders. We made significant headway on the app and expect to have the app in production within a few weeks.

Why this is this exciting to me:

I watched the workflow take place in the warehouse. I saw the legacy tools they were using and the lack of well-designed, utility software to help these folks with their already tireless jobs. We’re close to the finish line (pending a few backend integrations), but it’s truly exciting to see (and build) what really could materially shift not just the day-to-day of the 100s of workers, but the general efficiency of a business processing of such a large scale operation. I know this is just one of many, many, many larger, legacy companies reliant on antiquated processes and tech. As this word spreads, I expect waves as similar companies follow suit.

personal: Most of the days were spent in the office, but I thoroughly enjoyed my very short, and closely proximate, time outside the office.

I stayed at the Citizen M in Southlake, which was one of fewer hotels I would share with others to try (I don’t have much preference otherwise).

I hate to use the word edgy, but the place had edge. The rooms were fairly small (yet high-tech - all controlled through an iPad), but the lobby and surrounding spaces were beautiful.

On Thursday evening I had that entire back room to myself for multiple undisturbed hours.

The gym was quaint but beautiful, and it had the outlines of a basketball court on it, further pulling me to play again in Brooklyn 🙂

Food

pretty good

literally all for me

Wild Ginger

I had little time to actually explore beyond one run on the Waterfront (no Pike Place or original Starbucks visit), so little value here otherwise 🙂.

Ephemerality

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:00:00 GMT

I spent the last week in Banff and Calgary with my family. It was a fantastic time, and the stock photos you see online are not enhanced. It’s that good.

I come from a family of doctors - my parents are both physicians and my sister is a resident physician. For a while, I felt somewhat removed from conversations, many of which were mottled with medical slang and strange numerical prescriptions. Somewhat confusingly, I’ve also found my individual conversations with them to be some of the most enjoyable given their little exposure to startups or the tech industry at large. With fewer preconceptions or biases, their views give me the context that’s hard to find almost anywhere else in the Bay (where most crowds are either in tech or are closely aware of the space).

During the process of looking for and applying to jobs at startups, I would base most of my context and expectations on the content I was consuming + positive reinforcement from friends and family in the space. Especially then, startups were an amazing place to be for a recent grad. I was drinking the Silicon Valley Kool-Aid before I even stepped foot within. But my parents were a grounding force in conversation - they’d ask beginner questions about my decision-making and process. They’d ask about the true risks of joining a startup. They asked what it actually meant to be granted shares and how much real value that represented. They asked about my confidence in moving to San Francisco without knowing too many people. While I wanted it to be obvious that I was making the right decision, I realized they were poking holes in my own understanding of the realties of the situation. They continue to ask questions that we oftentimes choose to ignore - including a recent one around the multiple funding rounds in a row in 2021-2022, but a large gap since the last one. What does that mean? It was obvious but a clear indication that something had changed, and they wanted to know why.

I realize this article touches on the same umbrella topics that most of my last three posts have, but the theme has been prominent in my mind! The last year revealed underlying truths about the software space and tech ecosystem that I had previously idealized and misconstrued. There was a tweet I read many years back that stated something along the lines of- to get into YC, build a product that a YC company needs. I don’t why this resonated, but 6 years later, it still sits with me as I learn where exactly the cornucopia of SaaS tools fits into our worldly developments.

Not all of these companies have gone through YC, and it’s a gross generalization of my current views, but at some level I’ve begun to see our space depicted like this:

It’s obvious why I never could or will work in product design, but hopefully, the point comes across. There is a sea of software tools out in the world today, many addressing the core issues that society faces (I regard these as foundational layers - infrastructure, healthcare, and education). But a vast majority are solving problems in a space that likely did not even exist 20 years ago. The software that is needed for a product manager at a growing tech company to manage his/her experiments. The Customer Success platform for consolidating account usage. Many of the companies shown above have absolutely proven real value for our world, which is why they continue to exist and operate. But there is a continually growing class of prototypes and tools solving niche, bespoke needs for a specific set of end users. Many of which I ask - what problem is this actually solving?

A recent screenshot from Product Hunt looked like this:

For one, too many damn tools in AI.

Two, what problems are they really solving? Is there a need for another travel planner? Does the freelance marketplace need an AI layer on top? Do we actually need another product to manage workflows on top of another CRM software?

It’s invigorating: the constant stream of new tools, and the speed and passion of the developer community. It’s non-stop. Every new space, problem, surface area opens an opportunity to penetrate and productize.

It also worries me a bit. Every new tool, every new addition is another service that must be built and managed and eventually used and consumed by some (hopefully growing) cohort of users. Every product vies for that spot in your company's operating stack or your valuable individual attention. Of course, most of these services don’t pan out. The new high-speed, open-source CRM that you chose to replace Salesforce with. The hot new Javascript framework taking over the startup community. The cloud server boasting increased scalability for a fraction of the price.

Every product is part of a system and serves as one of the many inputs. In the B2B SaaS world, many companies’ products are another input to their internal operating system. Retool is reliant on many vendors - Segment, Datadog, Bigquery, AWS, Node, and Atlassian just to name a few. We deliberately chose these vendors due to our trust in their products and ability to deliver (of course!), and they are necessary inputs to our own software offering.

But these decisions carry immense costs in the grander scheme of things. Nasim Taleb has written extensively about the concept of the Lindy Effect: it’s one that I continue to find extremely poignant and applicable, especially in the startup space. We live in a world that pushes for and champions innovation and growth. Venture Capital is solely built on enabling this through capital and advice. But in actuality, there’s a limit to the amount of new that can last. Most startups fail! Meaning most of these services (probably used by some class of customers) will cease to exist. We’ve seen that in the last year more acutely with products simply don’t have a foundational strategy to drive recurring revenue. Retool has proven to serve a need for many developers and companies, and we are working to ensure the longevity of the tool. But this doesn’t come easy - we must find ways to drive continued revenue to be reinvested into the company.

But when inputs to a system start to fail, the system itself will start to under-deliver. It will need to find new inputs or degrade. Small disturbances to any node can create very immediate ripple effects on downstream dependencies. Retool relies on generally trusted services that have proven their value and a sustainable business model. But in our own lives, we put so much investment and time into products that could very well just disappear after some time. We saw this with Yik Yak which was used across our student body in college. We saw this with Quibi, that grossly overestimated the demand and need of commuters. This concept also applies to products that may still be operating, but don’t have the investment to innovate or launch new products, leaving it in somewhat of a ‘graveyard’ state. I feel this way with Quora and Medium, two content platforms that I loved for much of my undergrad. I would find quality answers and thought on Quora, and great write-ups on tech throughout Medium. But both platforms have changed so significantly - in a not-so-positive way. Quora has quickly devolved into a platform full of low-quality, under-moderated questions. Medium has turned into a feeding ground of self-aggrandizement and productivity porn.

I look at this site where I write these posts. All of my homepage links are to somewhat new software services. Village is a friend’s startup that I love to use. I’m writing this content on Notion which was published through Super. I’ve added food reviews on Beli, another fairly new tech platform. All of these are providing value to me, though I realize I also don’t pay a dime for just about any (other than some menial costs for this domain and publishing). This also means, there must be (or I hope there to be) some very ardent community of users that ARE paying and funding the growth and sustainment that I continue to rely on.

I wrote about ‘seeing things as they are’ in my first post. I’m still bullish on and love all that’s happening in tech. But there’s an ephemerality to the majority of these. Many will not last or operate at the same capacity they do when times are good and money is cheap. It’s fun to be an early adopter and later a power user of any tool. But there’s always the risk of putting those eggs in one basket.

Derek Sivers seemed onto something when he wrote on this.

Write plain text files | Derek Sivers

Update

I had planned to mention my complete dependence on Evernote for life tracking. I have been a power user since high school, and every emotion, thought, and rant has gone into my journal.

As I was writing the section above, I couldn’t help but worry about Evernote, which I’ve felt a slowdown in support and iteration. I hope this movement longens runway, but a sad sight nonetheless 😟

Bay Area tech firm relocating to Europe, lays off most staff

@raffichill on X ↗

Update - Aug ‘23

These posts give me chills. There are such real implications to the time and energy invested into any new technology or service. Goes again to show the importance of focusing on the fundamentals - writing, programming, accounting. Those ‘root’ level skills that aren’t dependent on potentially transient technologies.

@AdamRackis on X ↗

Scaling Customer Success at Retool

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Tumultuous

The Burbs

Mon, 01 May 2023 12:00:00 GMT

I try to visit my cousins down in South Bay every few weeks. I feel immensely fortunate to have such a support system nearby, especially with a view like this:

But the liking extends much further. There is an unsung peace and calm that comes from being away from the city. I grew up in Saint Louis (which I have likely aggressively touted if we’ve met), where weekends were comprised of car rides to Schnucks for $2 12-packs of eggs, spacious, open parking lots, and a certain communal friendliness. Evenings were spent on long walks at Queeny before getting Molcajete Mixto from Charro (my favorite dish!). I’d play around on our piano at home before sitting out to read on the patio. The same routine applies most times I revisit home, and I love it.

When I lived right outside DC post-undergrad, it gave off a similar serenity. I lived right next to a beautiful park where I went on morning runs, had close friends and a partner within a few blocks, and a spacious, multistory townhouse (for under $1600/m 🙃). I was there for the majority of Covid, and while I don’t know if I fully appreciated the affordances at that time, there is a subtle calm nostalgia that comes with thinking back.

I had always planned to move back out to San Francisco, and while I had an idea of how things would play out, the city life was a bit of a wake-up call! The city has clearly been through a bit of change post-pandemic, and the setting has also induced some rapid feelings of ‘next’ - at that time, Retool was still fairly early in operations, and there was always more to be built out. But in a city that is a machine of new tech and innovation, the feelings of ‘that next step up’ ring true. In a time when I couldn’t imagine another company to be at, a handful of folks from my team were leaving to start their own companies. I wondered what I was missing and whether that was expected as the next step. That thinking, even if not explicitly present in the day-to-day, reverberated across the city (and still does). It’s what makes Silicon Valley Silicon Valley.

But getting away continues to serve and provide the necessary reset after a few weeks-months in the city. The feeling that there isn’t some place to be or task to complete. The ability to actually have multiple rooms to walk around in. A neighborhood and a local chain restaurant nearby. As simple as it sounds, I’ve found it do wonders to my mind space.

I do imagine I’ll be in a large city for at least the near term (including my upcoming move to New York), but I’ve gotten more honest with myself about my own needs and physical/mental space to operate.

I love the suburbs. There are limiting factors of being a bit removed from the action, especially early in one’s career. But there’s a wonderful feeling that comes with being in a house in a tucked-away neighborhood.

Of course, the grass is always greener. Beauty in the balance.

My favorite part of the bay area getaways 🙂

Ebbs and Flows

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 12:00:00 GMT

It’s been over a year since I’ve put out any content online. Coming off 52 straight weeks of consistent newsletter posts, this unveiled an understood void in attention and energy. I’ve since found somewhat of a routine in San Francisco, and it’s given me some space to address a fast-growing itch to start some content back out, regardless of the cadence or quality.

Given all that the city and world have seen in the past year, thought I’d share my first lightweight piece here.

My last post to Medium stated the belief that everyone should try their hand at a startup. At the time of writing, I felt this with strong conviction. The space was the hottest it’s been since the dot-com boom and the steady influx of capital created a veil of software prosperity and growth. By all accords, it was the place and space to be.

The last year has been a reality check, both professionally and personally. Not long after moving to the city, the Silicon Valley main stage that I gazed at with such wide eyes from afar quickly popped, revealing the innards of an ecosystem that contained more disturbing realities than I may have thought. It’s been a shock to the larger tech ecosystem, forcing a long-needed reflection on how we ended up here, the underlying truths of the space, and how we move forward.

The immediate effects of these bubbles are fairly obvious: general reductions in expenditure, slowdowns in growth, and then layoffs. But in the belly of the beast, these changes are so detrimentally impactful to the life of a city that relies on this energy and perception of prosperity. San Francisco truly is a startup ‘ecosystem’ - a living, dynamic, interactive environment, with a shared belief in a positive-sum net outcome. When companies and teams burn runway, lose funding, or miss hiring targets, bottom-line metrics are affected. They’ll have less capacity to hire, less capacity to invest in new and bigger ideas, and will have to cut operating costs (with human capital being the most expensive). Morale may drop and iteration speed will naturally fall. Customers (and competitors) will likely undergo similar struggles, impeding natural growth and enacting downward price pressure. These effects run far and deep, and CEOs go into wartime mode, masking their decision to enforce mass layoffs under the cloak of efficiency.

All that to say, the shock exposes realities and numbers. Companies won’t survive without metrics to back up spending and a product that is deemed necessary by their customers. It must be a sustainable, recurring, monetized painkiller.

In the midst of all of this, we’ve seen what I believe to be one of the greatest developments and strongest levers toward a shifted society in AI. I’ll wait to provide more commentary, but at the moment it still feels like it’s adding more noise to a city that feels a bit confused.

These, along with so many other changes, have taken a toll on my well-being and mental state. After joining Retool in November of 2021, the pending move to SF was my dream come true. I had known for a while that I’d eventually be joining a startup out west, and in many regards felt this to be that silver bullet for curing any stresses. There was a lot of change and subsequent growth that emerged in just a year. Moving to a new city without a core group of friends, going back into the office after multiple years remote, fighting an initial sense of imposter syndrome, and living through such a change of city pace and energy has been a wonderful test.

I read Meg Jay’s The Defining Decade when I first graduated. It didn’t resonate much at the moment, but looking back at notes and other thoughts, the points have taken more hold and shape. I’m coming up on my late(ish) 20s, and while I couldn’t have thought I’d be in this space 10 years ago (considering I couldn’t tell you what SaaS stood for), I’ve also felt this lacking feeling of ‘adulthood’ I thought would come with being in the space and role I wanted so badly! Life in one’s 20s exposes this strange dichotomy between extremes - I’m seeing friends start to get married to their partners and settle down, and others going full nomad to travel the world. I’ve seen folks spend far beyond their means, and others move home and work multiple jobs. I’ve questioned friendships that haven’t stayed active after geographic separation and asked myself the cost of being so far away from close friends. In a city where things do feel new, it’s easy to question why I make the decisions I do - where I put my time and money, how I prioritize life and work, and what the routine I choose says about me. Thoughts pop up constantly and force some hard-hitting introspection.

The book doesn’t touch on all these feelings and there are some points I don’t agree with, but I strive towards the feelings of calm that must be embraced through such change.

This is ongoing, and while I’ve taken steps to move and cultivate this sense, it’s a fulfilling area to hone in on. I do believe that shocks to any system are necessary for resilience, but the interim period of reconstruction can cause glaring uncertainties.

I don’t want to wrap a spattering of thoughts under one lesson and learning, but it's one that’s played true in my own life. Things, lives, societies, friends, relationships, and markets can’t be planned out, and they can (and likely should) go through change. The dynamics and relationships between any two parties will go through iterations and evolutions, and sometimes it’s in conflict with what feels wanted! Change is real and should be accepted, embraced, and appreciated. Unfortunately, not the easiest 🤠

@thedulab on X ↗

Update

I think I can cleanly associate many of the feelings with my SF hype cycle.

Unicorns and sunshine → Disillusionment and disappointment → realization of realities → accepting the present moment

Update 2

I saw this tweet the other day. Similar thoughts.

@JoshuaOgundu on X ↗

Pockets of Life

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 12:00:00 GMT

I’ve begun the first of many upcoming travel expeditions, this first leg being New York and DC. I intentionally decided to split time between different parts of the city (mostly still couch surfing, but with the goal of experiencing the unique ~vibes~). I spent some time in Williamsburg, just recently moved to Greenpoint, have a few upcoming nights in Manhattan, and finally a weekend in Jersey City(not entirely intentional, though the skyline views from the Airbnb drew us in).

I’ve always enjoyed my time in Brooklyn and am loving Greenpoint so far. Right on the water, still buzzing with energy, right across from Manhattan. My friend also lives in a beautiful unit on the water which might create some bias 🙂.

We’ve spent our entire day indoors due to a nonstop downpour of rain, but the view of both the city and other buildings is breathtaking. I captured this shot of a building next door (a few buildings under the same ownership)

maybe creepy idc

During my trip to Hong Kong a few years back, I was invariably shook by the sheer size and breadth of the cityscapes. They were everywhere - miles and miles of spotted cubes of life. I didn’t capture a great picture of these during the trip, but it was somewhat resonant to this:

wired

It was jarring - every one of those tiny, speckled units held some living group or individual, living their lives, feeling emotions, and contributing to the world. They had a LIFE - yet from the view were just a tiny little unit on a faceless, cookie-cutter megascape. There’s a strange sadness but beauty to this that I can’t quite put my finger on. I often feel the same sense of mystique and beauty in New York, where nearly everyone has that ambition inside, though are just some tiny spec in a boundless sea of others. Fascinating!

Update: the view from our Jersey City Airbnb - stunning!