Jun 16Startups: Not Your Typical Leadership Lessons for Tough TimesThe last few years have been quite unpredictable for startups. We’ve had a global pandemic, a war in Europe, macroeconomic uncertainty, rising interest rates, a frozen venture capital market, crazy high valuations and then crazy low valuations, whiplash in terms of what’s most important (i.e. growth at all cost vs…Startup Lessons11 min readStartup Lessons11 min read
May 19Audio is the Perfect MediumMixhalo is an ultra low latency networking technology. That’s right, with our patented technology we can move data–any kind of data–across our network, locally or globally, in real time. We use this tech to deliver real time audio to audiences at live events (think concerts, sporting events, conferences, houses of…Audio5 min readAudio5 min read
Oct 30, 2019Simple Hiring Tip: Challenge Candidates Directly with ConcernsThe hiring team I assembled gathered in one of TaskRabbit’s conference rooms to review the candidate we had just interviewed for a Product Management role. Everyone had submitted their feedback privately before this discussion, but now I wanted to get a little more color as a group. The consensus was…Hiring4 min readHiring4 min read
May 5, 2019The Sad Burning of Notre Dame de ParisIt was Monday evening and I walked out of the office around 7pm. I was taking my normal route home from Sentier to Le Marais by walking south on the crowded, café-laden Rue Montorgueil. As I turned onto the rue I saw huge clouds of yellowish smoke billowing across the…Paris4 min readParis4 min read
Mar 22, 2019The Apartment on Rue des RosiersRue des Rosiers is a small, narrow street in the heart of Le Marais with cobblestones underfoot, fashionable boutiques, and a few charming restaurants. This may be off topic but I have to say, it may well be the falafel capital of the universe. Five falafel shops are within fifty…Short Story6 min readShort Story6 min read
Mar 9, 2019A Night Out with HaroldYou get very lonely in Paris because you see so many people on the sidewalks at the cafés drinking and smoking and laughing. There is a constant reminder that you are walking home by yourself with your dinner and your rosé in your backpack. I don’t mind being alone that…Paris4 min readParis4 min read
Feb 13, 2019Moving to Paris, Joining QontoI woke up at 5am due to the jet lag. I had slept like crap, tossing and turning all night fighting off recurring dreams of puzzling anxiety and electrifying stress. As I slogged through my morning routine and got ready for my first day of work, my mind kept saying…Paris6 min readParis6 min read
Published inNewCo Shift·Jun 14, 2018What If God Were An App?A playful way to look at what apps/startups need to do to thrive in the next business cycle. Based on a talk I gave this April at Industry: The Product Conference in Dublin. (Note: this is not religious, but meant to be a fun, perhaps useful, thought exercise.) Last fall…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
Feb 17, 2018My Morning RoutineI find morning routines interesting. Here’s mine. Podcaster and author Tim Ferris likes to ask his guests what are their morning routines. His guests are always super remarkable people in one way or another and their answers are fascinating with many common themes often combined with heavy doses of eccentricity…Health5 min readHealth5 min read
Published inNewCo Shift·Jan 17, 2018The Product Hierarchy of NeedsUsing Maslow’s famous framework for product planning Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is one of the most well known frameworks of all time. Famously, Maslow draws the pyramid of human needs where lower layers of the pyramid represent the more basic needs (for example, physiological and safety needs) while each level…Startup6 min readStartup6 min read
