In July 2025 I recorded a series of LinkedIn posts that blend observations, aphorisms, and quotes about startups, AI, mindset, and cultural commentary. I used reflective journaling with precise UTC timestamps to crystallize insights that later informed my strategic decisions on growth forecasting, passive‑income skepticism, ownership mindset, AI interface preferences, and the importance of "shiddat".
don’t try to Nostradamus your growth projections without having a live product
passive income is the biggest scam concept of the last few decades
“A lot of startups are like the fastest‑looking car, not the fastest car.” - Paul Buchheit (creator of Gmail, cofounder yc)
first 5 years seem critical
bearish on chat as default ai interface
framing questions is high cognitive load
one thing that's completely missing from every sphere of life and can set you apart from everyone else: shiddat
plane oxygen mask analogy has done more harm than any other analogy
the 'more efficient markets' answer will lie in what the top bosses of capitalist and communist economies put their most powerful AI machines to work for
From these observations I decided to avoid speculative growth forecasts, reject passive‑income hype, prioritize an ownership mindset in the first five years, prefer non‑chat AI interfaces, cultivate "shiddat", re‑evaluate boredom as a strategic asset, and watch how top leaders deploy AI across economic systems.