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Current-You: Why You Can Punt Your Hardest Problems (And What Has To Be True First)
Current-you is the least capable version of you that will ever run this company, so stop handing it your hardest strategic problems. But deferring only works if there is a cleverer you. Why experience does not produce expertise and what does.
The Efficiency Edge: Why Uber Won on a Click, Not a Subsidy War
Travis Kalanick says Uber's efficiency edge started at signup. You don't win by being twice as good, you win by being one click better in four hundred places. Why efficiency eventually outstrips subsidy.
The Arsonist Founder: Why Most Startup Fires Are Self-Inflicted and How to Break the Pattern
Most startup crises are self-inflicted. The hire you made without setting expectations, the conversation you avoided, the decision you delayed. You are the firefighter, the arsonist, and the house. How to stop the pattern.
Dark Horse Founders: Why the Best Startups Come From Blank-Page Thinkers, Not Playbook Followers
Dark horse founders don't win by being contrarian. They consume every playbook then decide where the playbook is wrong for them specifically. Extremistan thinking, Goodhart's Law, and micro-motives explained.
The Cost of Trust: Why Founders Must Bet Where They Can Get Hurt
Trust in startups is a bet where you can get hurt. Without damage on the line it is just a transaction. How to calibrate too little vs too much trust.
Cheat Code for Founders: Win Finite Battles, Then Switch to the Infinite Game
Following the rules is broadly the worst strategy in finite startup battles, but long-term outcomes still compound on trust.
Does Startup Get Easier? Why the Grind Usually Gets Harder for Founders
Does running a startup get easier over time? Usually not in the ways founders hope—stakes rise, problems get costlier, and being good stays table stakes while the grind continues.
Actually Competent: Grit, Track Record, and the Founder Finish Line
Competence in a startup isn't about being good at your job. It's about being good at not stopping.
Harvard Stupid: When Intelligence Becomes a Trap
Reality has a surprising amount of detail. Detail you can only find by doing the thing. Harvard Stupid is when preparation becomes a ceiling, not a floor.
Be Rich: Permission to Want Financial Freedom as a Founder
It's okay to want to be rich. You can care about the mission AND the exit. A founder who wants to get rich is maximally aligned with outcomes.
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