Jan 16Books I read in 2022In 2022, I set myself the goal of reading one book a quarter — a low goal but something I felt I could commit to. I ended up reading nine books over the year, of which I’ve provided summaries and brief thoughts on seven below. The other two books I…Books Commentary22 min readBooks Commentary22 min read
Aug 14, 2022Navigating the current landscapeThe last few months have been difficult for employees of high-growth startups and public companies. As investors adjust to a likely future of higher interest rates, they are less willing to pay high multiples for growth-stage companies — resulting in the stock price declines we’ve seen across a broad range…Tech9 min readTech9 min read
Mar 7, 2022Books I read in 2021I discuss below some of the books I read in 2021. I found all of these books worth reading — they taught me many new things, and gave me many ideas worth thinking about. A brief summary of each book is below. Omissions and mistakes are entirely mine — these…7 min read7 min read
Nov 7, 2021The Organizational Layer CakeI’ve taken on a number of roles over the years that have involved growing teams or organizations within a company, ranging from a Series A startup to large companies. …Management11 min readManagement11 min read
May 19, 2021Top down vs bottom upOrganizational cultures are often characterized as “top down” or “bottom up.” A top down culture is often considered more rigid, authoritarian, and old school than a bottom up culture; many companies today have embraced a bottom up culture where ideas can — at least in theory — be generated by…7 min read7 min read
May 22, 2020So you left a startup to work at a big companyFirst, congratulations. I hope you’re excited about your new role and teammates, and the area you’ll be working on. The following is general advice for people who have spent many years of their career in startups or small companies, and have now joined a big company. By “big company”, I…Startup7 min readStartup7 min read
Apr 17, 2017Building an Execution Engine, Part 3: ToolsThis is the last in a series of four posts on building a high velocity startup. In Startups and the Art of Asking Questions, I wrote about a basic framework within which most startups operate. …Software Development9 min readSoftware Development9 min read
Dec 27, 2016Motivating Teams: The CAST frameworkAs an engineering leader, one of your most important responsibilities is to rally people behind the goals your organization needs to achieve. …Management5 min readManagement5 min read
Aug 20, 2016How we ship code at TownsquaredThis post was first published on the Townsquared engineering blog at https://townsquared.com/blog/engineering/ship-code-townsquared/. Townsquared is the local network for small and medium businesses. As a hub for many daily conversations among local business communities, it’s important for us to have a stable product for our users that still allows rapid iteration…Engineering5 min readEngineering5 min read
Jun 4, 2016Building an Execution Engine, Part 2: ProcessThis is the third in a series of four posts on building a high velocity startup. In Startups and the Art of Asking Questions, I wrote about a basic framework within which most startups operate. …Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
