scaling Plank to help build the AI-native workforce of the future; prev Co-founder, BlueOak; VP, Lanzatech; BCG; PhD (neuroscience); HBS; WEF YGL & Tech Pioneer
“If race or class war divides us into hostile camps, changing political argument into blind hate...the road to dictatorship will be open to any man who can persuasively promise security to all, and a martial government...will engulf the democratic world.”
— Will Durant (1968)
Now, what could possibly go wrong here?
"Second, the creation of a new corporate category in Argentine law: the non-human corporation. These are entities operated by AI agents or robots. Where these systems exercise independent judgment in unpredictable environments — as they must, if they are to be genuinely useful — their actions entail real risks. Limited liability is not a luxury for such entities; it is a precondition for their existence. Human shareholders may participate, but are not required."
This is an important point from @Tyrangiel. AI is not going away. The most productive path forward is to work with it and the people building it to ensure the technology is moving us in the right direction, not the wrong one. https://t.co/xuxsQFk5B4
Oscar Q1 numbers are proof that it really is possible to build a profitable healthcare business ever more beloved by members: 3.2M members, $4.6B revenue, $704M earnings from operations in Q1 '26.
But could YOU have done it?
Now you can test yourself... 1/2
"A week is 2% of the year. The cadence we operate on is: A week is not the shortest timeline. It's the longest timeline. What can we decide by tomorrow?" - @grinich.
Michael Grinich. Founder and CEO of WorkOS. The company powering the enterprise adoption of AI.
Knuckle Up ↓
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00:00 Introduction
01:33 From design-obsessed founder to enterprise infrastructure
04:20 Michael’s year off and what made the WorkOS bet obvious
06:54 Why a great startup idea has to look bad first
09:46 Minimum awesome product beats MVP
11:09 The org with no CRO, no VP of sales, and one PM
13:29 Hiring for curiosity, not credentials
16:25 The "AI pilled" interview red flag
18:25 A week is 2% of the year
26:00 How WorkOS approaches brand
33:00 The future shape of engineering orgs
43:20 Why senior engineers benefit most from AI
44:45 Micro-leadership over micromanagement
49:10 Tough times in the early days
59:04 The reverse Peter principle
1:04:38 Quickfire: red flags, hires too early, and biggest fears
1:10:30 Michael's advice to his 25-year-old self
In good hands
There is a feeling I search for: being in good hands. It is the feeling I look to give and the feeling I look to receive.
I know I am in good hands when I sense a cohesive point of view expressed with attention to detail.
I can feel it almost instantly. In any medium. Music, film, fashion, architecture, writing, software. At a Japanese restaurant it's what omakase aims to be. I leave it up to you, chef.
When I am in good hands I open myself to a state of curiosity and appreciation. I allow myself to suspend preconceived notions. I give you freedom to take me where you want to go. I immerse myself in your worldview and pause judgement.
I want to be convinced of something new. I want my mind to be changed. Later I may disagree, but for now I am letting the experience soak in.
That trust doesn't come easily. As an audience member it's about feeling cared for from the moment I interact with your work. It's about feeling a well-defined point of view permeate what you make.
If my mind was changed, I must have been in good hands.
Wow.
The White House just announced that grid infrastructure is essential to national defense.
This includes transformers, transmission lines and conductors, substations, and high-voltage circuit breakers.
Companies working to electrify America will have a big tailwind.
“Founders aren’t made when they start companies. They’re made when they interpret their market correctly.”
Episode 2 of @KnuckleUpHQ is live.
Qasar Younis (@qasar): Founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. One of the sharpest and most intentional operators you’ll ever meet on the craft of building a company.
Full episode ↓
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00:00 Intro
01:19 What really makes someone a founder
05:26 The company that almost became Kickstarter
08:12 The most common misread on feedback
13:40 Why most founders don't end up with the best team
19:45 How to pick a co-founder
23:38 Your first 10 hires are really your first 100
28:21 The case for hiring slow and firing slow
33:22 Red, yellow, green: how Applied gives monthly feedback
35:00 The role that knows what’s actually going on in a company
40:01 How to operate with speed and intentionality
42:41 The three things Qasar spends time on
45:57 How Applied is driving AI adoption
52:06 The type of engineer Applied is now looking for
1:01:19 Why this could be the golden age of small companies
1:09:13 Quickfire: red flags, overrated advice, and superpowers
1:12:32 Qasar's advice to his 25-year-old self
When I’ve made similar points in convo, pushback from people is - so you’re saying we’ll have more nannies, tutors, coaches and baristas for rich people.
One, no, that’s not what I’m saying.
Two, what did you think bankers, consultants and lawyers do today?
The biggest illusion of the last few decades might be the inherent value of knowledge work. It has always disproportionately been in service of the wealthy. If anything, we might democratize access to knowledge outputs to those that haven’t historically been able to afford it.
Love this essay, and made a similar point recently!
“As AI advances, thinking may become less central to human purpose and more a source of stimulation or mastery (as we saw with physical effort after the Industrial Revolution). In this world, purpose may shift toward deep (and likely irl) emotional and care work - helping people feel held, supported and seen.”
https://t.co/E5kaGNEBPu
Building a company is a confrontational act.
Introducing Knuckle Up: conversations with people who’ve operated at the highest level.
Recruiting. Culture. Intensity. The inner game of being a CEO.
First episode with Frank Slootman drops today.
Trailer ↓
@bznotes Love these reminders :) something I’ve done with my parents is recording the equivalent of a podcast with them for posterity - have them tell their life stories (esp awesome with cousins, siblings etc around who add levity and their own curiosity, angles and Qs)