Alexander Hoff ❍

quit my CEO job to build solo. first-time dad. techno-optimist.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

quit my CEO job.
first kid on the way.
building 3+ products from vienna.

most exciting time of my life. building all of it in public.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

the funny thing about the rimowa discussion is that i learned this lesson with a suitcase that was not even a rimowa.

it was an amazing aluminum travelite cabin bag for around 300€. i loved that thing way too much. it was still completely pristine and at munich airport security i actually asked the security lady if i could put it in a basket instead of letting it get pushed over the xray rollers.

she looked at me with dead eyes and said completely unironically "well, then it should not have become a suitcase."

then she shoved it straight into the machine.

i laughed so hard because she was obviously right. imagine already acting like an idiot with a 300€ suitcase. now imagine paying 1k+ and doing the same thing.

a suitcase is a box with wheels. it gets scratched. it gets dented. people throw it around. that is the job.

don’t be dumb and fall for it.

[@levelsio @levelsio]

Rimowa used to aluminum

Now it's a lot of plastic!

They still sell classic aluminum cases though but most of the new range that you see on the site is plastic

Plastic is cheap to produce so higher profit margins (LVMH likes that!)

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@levelsio makes me angry thinking how many people are stupid enough to fall for this bs.

incredible.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

looked into buying an aluminium rimowa a while ago but it just felt stupid. i don't care spending more for peak quality but 1.2k for a small cabin bag? come on.

i ended up with travelite and am amazed how sturdy it is. smashed one wheel at some point (100% my fault) and could repair it myself within 15min and a 35€ replacement wheel.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

talked to an ai researcher with decades of experience and asked him:

"do you think humanity will survive emergence of superintelligent ai?"

"oh yes for sure. we will continue to live kind of like in a zoo. ai will keep us around like we keep squirrels around."

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@DanielLockyer ah i was hoping for this after i got the plastic one and realised it might not be a genius idea to keep pouring boiling hot water onto it.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

anyone else of the vienna builders today at ClawCon nr. 2?

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@levelsio looks damn good.

add half an avocado the next time. goes super well with steak/rice.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

real wealth is when you can just say „fuck it“ and ghost everyone for 5 months.

this is healthy and i wish everyone to have this level of confidence.

nothing matters more than real life.

[Danny Postma @dannypostma]

Hey Twitter. Been a while.

Thanks to everyone who's reached out to check in, I haven't died, promise

Just wanted to share where I've been the last 5 months.

It started in November. Some personal stuff came up that meant I couldn't share what I was working on anymore and honestly sharing was the whole reason I enjoyed Twitter. The building in public, the conversations, meeting people. Without that, it kind of took the fun out of it for me.

Then January came around, and the world kind of lost its mind. I was doomscrolling 5+ hours a day, cranky and angry, short with the people around me. And what really got me was that even when I wasn't on the app, I was still scrolling, just in my head. My wife mentioned Id been off lately, "what are you even doing?", and that's when it hit me: this is a vicious circle. I needed to stop.

So I quit cold turkey. Decided it was basically an addiction, and it wasn't giving me anything back.

5 months in honestly it's been one of the best things I've done for myself in years.

Not spending 5 hours a day on the app feels amazing. In the mornings especially, Twitter used to dictate what I'd think about all day. Whatever was trending, that's where my head went. I didn't even realize it was happening.

Without it, you remember how much is actually going on in real life. You don't have to be scrolling. You can just be there, with your wife, your dog, your friends. Read a book. Read an actual news site. Sit with your own thoughts.

That last part has been the biggest one. When your mind has space again, you start *thinking*. About your life. About decisions you've been putting off. I've been head-down running the company for years, always managing, always growing, and suddenly I had room to ask: am I doing what I want to be doing? That alone made the whole thing worth it.

Some things that have changed:
- Made some dramatic work changes
- Working on side projects again
- Enjoying coding for fun
- Less stressed, way less reactive
- My relationships with everyone are better
- Been working out, eating healthier, and lost 7kg
- Got married
- Just happier

I've opened the app a few times since. Scrolled for a bit. And honestly, it just doesn't bring me joy anymore.

But I do miss things. I miss sharing what I'm building. I miss the people, the conversations, the small connections that come from posting and replying. That's the part I haven't found anywhere else.

I'll come back one day, in some form. Probably something custom, a way to share what I'm working on and interact with people without seeing the feed.

For now I'm just enjoying being off the grid. If you want to chat, send me an email or a message, Id love that. Thanks for checking in 🙏

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@dannypostma good move. i feel like it‘s the time now.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

having a daughter is a very effective way to recalibrate your priorities.

i now catch myself not forcing replies.
not forcing posts.
not caring about the impression-number-chase anymore.

and honestly? it feels good.

i still want X to be a place where i meet smart, interesting people.

but i’m increasingly done performing for the counter.

[Thomas Sanlis 🥐 @T_Zahil]

Yes, shitposting all the time "works"

You get nice payouts, make lots of impressions

But is it worth it?

I don't think so. Your audience is completely random, scattered and unengaged

I'd rather post genuine, personal and interesting content 😊

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@itsolelehmann nothing beats a heart-felt breakfast.

love it.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

want to radicalise someone into prepping?

give them a marc elsberg book.

anyway, i’m off to buy 300 litres of water, lentils, iodine tablets and a hand-crank radio.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@andreasklinger @glcst @dhh @elonmusk 😂

nice one

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@Ysquanir @levelsio yup. exactly.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

imagine you’re 85.

you get one day to come back and live as your younger self.

one normal day.
your body works.
your parents are alive.
your kid is small.
your friends are around.
your future is still open.

that day is today.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@robj3d3 i have read this so often now that all people who go with the main reason of saving taxes don‘t end up staying.

i hope you find a comfy home base soon!

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

@zherring phew. under 100usd seems to be unrealistic all-in.

[Alexander Hoff ❍ @axhoff]

my daughter asleep on my chest while i build.

this is why i wanted control over my time.

not for status. for this.