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Essays on leadership, tech, and the state of the industry.
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Hundreds of American Express Employees Reached Out to Me This Week. They're All Saying the Same Thing.
After publishing a video about my experience as an Engineering Director at American Express, hundreds of current and former employees reached out confirming the same offshoring playbook.
nobody cares how much you use AI when coding and we should stop pretending
and learn to mind our own business.
Amazon’s insane plot to lay off 30,000 American workers and hire 3 million in India
Amazon's latest push to lay off 30,000 American workers while hiring 3 million in India. The pattern is undeniable.
Free Tool: Manager or IC? The Eternal Question
Fork in the road
You Can Hurt Me But You Can’t Gurt Me
In a world of AI scrapers and digital ghosts, having a body is becoming our greatest asset.
The Single Best Optimization You Can Make In 2026
The single biggest optimization you can make in 2026 has nothing to do with AI, productivity apps, or hustle culture.
GET GOOD OR GET OUT
I spent an evening going through the top posts on Reddit’s r/CSCareerQuestions this month. The whining is off the charts. Here’s what I found and why most of
I need 3 people for something new
I’m going to try something different. For the past few months, I’ve been talking about tech careers, layoffs, navigating the chaos of this industry: on
Most Candidates Don’t Fail System Design Interviews Because They Can’t Design Systems
They fail because they’re performing instead of problem solving. I’ve run hundreds of system design interviews across American Express, Anduril, and Shopify.
Stop Chasing Happiness at Work. You’re Not a Child.
I keep seeing tech professionals online talking about optimizing for “happiness” at their jobs. One guy on Reddit proudly announced he quit using AI tools
COMPVTER EXTREMISM: Installing Windows 98 on DOSBox-X (M-chip Mac)
A quick guide to running Windows 98 SE on your Apple Silicon Mac using DOSBox-X.
Writing Like Socrates Didn't
A response to the AI allegations against my writing.
Nvidia Just Paid $20 Billion for a Company That Missed Its Revenue Target by 75%
Panic buying, plain and simple. If anything indicates that this AI bubble is about to pop, it’s this.
Get In Loser: We're Exposing the AI Bubble
It’s a bubble. Everyone with basic observational skills can see it.
Easymode Public Speaking: The Technique Nobody is Talking About
Simpler and more effective than any other technique.
Christmas Gifts for Neurodivergent People
Neurodivergent or otherwise.
How to Make One Million Dollars a Year as a Software Engineer as Fast as Possible
A step-by-step guide.
The Best Way to Use LinkedIn is to Not Use It at All
The ROI of LinkedIn for depth-first creators is zero. Every minute spent there makes you one minute dumber.
The Optics-Driven Workplace and the Death of Competence
“I’m a Timestamp Man” Every company has at least one dude and sometimes a whole gaggle of them who manages by the clock. He doesn’t read your code, doesn’t
The Everything is Everything Era
I feel beige. Do you feel beige?
How to Become a Gigacracked Engineer: A Guide
What experience taught me that textbooks never could
How Neurodivergent Brains Build Better Systems
A former manager once described me as a “purist”. It wasn’t the first time a colleague alluded to my obsessive way of thinking but it was the first time
Office Survival Gear for the Neurodivergent Tech Worker
Traditional offices can be massively overstimulating if you’re neurodivergent, unless you have the right gear. I wore glasses for decades until I got my eyes
The Making of Autism Simulator: 60,000 Visitors in 12 Hours
How I built Autism Simulator as a passion project and got 60,000 visitors in 12 hours.
Why Everything Feels Broken and the Filmmaker Who Predicted It
The world feels chaotic and truth has become malleable. One filmmaker predicted all of it decades ago.
I went to church on Sunday
Rain or shine.
Marshall McLuhan and Vim
We are the sex organs of the machines...
The Introvert's Guide: Surviving a Networking Event
A simple protocol to network like an extrovert.
What Does a Software Engineering Director Do All Day
The job of an engineering director has always been somewhat opaque to me. I'm relieved to find that no golfing is involved.
I No Longer Do Emails
The written word remains supreme but it's changing.
Forgetting is a Gift: How to Change the Past and Burn Your To-Do List
In a world where technology excels at preserving every detail, what if forgetting is your greatest asset?
Energy Management for Introverts and Extroverts
A brutal, tactical manual for people who’d rather be left alone but still want to win.
Everyone is on Fire
Burning and being uncompromising in a mild and convenient world.
Don't Write a Book: The Lesson at the Heart of Ex Nihilo
Have you ever been curious about what lies behind the pages? It's far more arcane than it seems.
It Began as a Mistake: Living Between the Walls
Most people fake normal and call it discipline. I faked normal, got sick of it, and wrote this instead.
The Zero-Sum Game
Paying the cost to be the boss.
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