Design vs. Darwinism. Data vs. Darkness.
The data geek, it’s said, wants to make every decision based only on the numbers. Test this shade of blue against that shade. Pick the winner. Test something else. The designer is a creative artist,...
View ArticleBest of Numerate Choir
Here are my best posts from the past few years: Founder Stories The Visionary and the Pivoter A Founder’s Constant State of Rejection Silicon Valley Why Developers Aren’t Interested In Your Startup...
View ArticleHow to Bring Innovative, Not-Insanely-Wealthy People Back to Palo Alto
The other night, I found myself reading my almost-three-year-old daughter a children’s book from 1950. The book focused on family life, and I had to explain some of the things she didn’t recognize. The...
View ArticleHow the Heck Would I Know What I Should Do For YOUR Company?
This morning, shortly after I got into the office, I got an IM from a friend I hadn’t heard from in a while. Mike, can I complain to you for ~15 seconds about something completely unrelated to whatever...
View ArticleWhy My Startup Isn’t in Stockton: How to Further the Culture and Network...
TL;DR 1. Tech innovation is generally a good thing and should be encouraged. 2. Tech companies are better positioned to succeed if they’re in Silicon Valley, because of culture and network effects. 3....
View ArticleIt’s Easier to Be Honest the Second Time Around
In my first experience as a full-time founder, it was really tough to be upfront about challenges. Shortly after launching Circle of Moms, we were growing quite quickly. Moms weren’t using our product...
View ArticleThe Story Behind One Introduction; The Data Behind 100K Introductions
Everything started at a Sunday brunch when I asked my friend JoAnne about the startup she’d just joined. JoAnne, a fifty-something woman with the hip energy of a 25-year-old, perked up as she...
View ArticleWalking Away
When I mentioned that Bonafide was shutting down, some people were surprised. They were surprised that we’d disband a strong and cohesive five-person team, that we’d shut down a startup with enough...
View ArticleA Wall Around My Country and a Moat Around My Hometown
Twenty years ago this month, I moved to California. I arrived as an eighteen year old -- a boy who'd never lived outside Philadelphia, never seen the Pacific Ocean, never tasted a burrito, never played...
View ArticleDear NY Times: Take My Money, Please
To the business team of The New York Times: In a time of uncertainty, it's been nice to see people rally around the cause of journalism. Here in Silicon Valley, there's (sadly) long been a sense that...
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