Pramod Hebbar

[CG @cgtwts]

anthropic’s lead engineer btw.

[Subash R @subashr232]

I was fascinated by the idea of migrating abroad when I was in middle school. I had heard so many “wow” stories about the sons and daughters of my father’s colleagues who had gone overseas.

I wrote the SAT way back in 2003. Got multiple admits, including NUS and NTU. Everything was ready for me to migrate.

But I also got admission to CEG, then among the best engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu. And I did the unthinkable. I chose Mechanical Engineering at CEG over NUS/NTU.

Dad went wild!

At the end of my undergraduate years, I had two choices: GRE or CAT. Dad wanted me to take the GRE and leave India at the earliest. I chose CAT. I stayed back.

I eventually started a venture in one of India's most heavily regulated industries.

And the regulators nearly killed my venture thrice. Closing down MSE. Slashing commissions at their whims and fancies. Arbitrarily increasing net-worth requirements and questioning the very viability of my business.

There were moments when I wondered whether staying back had been a mistake. The system certainly gave me enough reasons to feel that way.

Yet, by God's grace, I survived. Seventeen years of running a company in India.

And despite everything, I still love this country. I don't entirely know why.

Perhaps it is the mananimmathi I experience when I travel through her countryside. Perhaps it is the atma tripti her temples give me. Perhaps it is the inexplicable happiness I feel in Malnad, in my Pandya desam, or in my beloved Travancore whenever I set foot on that soil and walk its paths.

Priceless. Absolutely priceless.

Look at where India was in the 1960s and 1970s and where she is today. She has come a long way.

From confiscatory 97% marginal income-tax rates to a much lower peak rate today. From a hopelessly Fabian socialist model to a mixed economy. From waiting endlessly for a Bajaj Chetak to being able to buy a Toyota in minutes. From waiting years for a telephone connection to becoming one of the world's cheapest mobile-data markets. From mud roads to expressways. From extreme poverty — remember Kamal Haasan eating an apple that had fallen into a gutter in Varumayin Niram Sivappu — to Shimla apples being available even in village markets.

India has travelled an extraordinary distance.

Of course, she could have done much better. She could have become another Singapore in terms of civic infrastructure, public services and urban planning. We have squandered decades and opportunities. There is no denying that.

But she remains India.

I take comfort in how far she has travelled despite decades of socialist policies and political mismanagement, rather than spending every waking moment complaining about everything that is wrong with her.

I can criticise India. I can demand better governance, better infrastructure and better public services. I can be frustrated with her bureaucracy and regulations.

But my affection for her runs deeper than my frustrations.

And perhaps that is what people who constantly compare India with the West fail to understand. A country is not merely the quality of its roads, the efficiency of its bureaucracy or the size of its paycheques. There is also a sense of belonging, a civilisational connection and a peace of mind that cannot be measured on a spreadsheet.

I would rather be a small soul in a country I love than spend my life as an indentured servant in a soulless system.

I had my opportunities to leave. I chose to stay.

Seventeen years later, with all the scars, setbacks and struggles, I still feel it was worth it.

She is far from perfect. But she is mine. She will never ditch me. She will not ask for a VISA to accommodate me as she has soul and I am her son.

And that makes all the difference.

[Noah B. Price @TrueOnX]

Imagine being given somewhere around 80 years on a planet floating through an incomprehensibly enormous universe, surrounded by billions of people you will never meet, mysteries you will never solve, places you will never see, and more knowledge than you could absorb in a thousand lifetimes...

and spending the whole damn thing worrying about money, arguing with strangers, impressing people you don't even like, and doing something you hate five days a week because somebody convinced you that was life.

I don't know, man.

I think we may have gotten a few things terribly wrong.

[Shaurya Sinha @shaurya_sinha7]

This Independence Day 🇮🇳, I asked, "What will the next century of young Indians look like?"

$0.01 Drone Deliveries. UAVs that never land. Groceries in under 10 minutes.

Meet The 22nd Century Indian. A Documentary on a New India.

[Pramod Hebbar @pramodhebbar]

@NoahEpstein_ Think

[Pramod Hebbar @pramodhebbar]

@chamath @_screenshoter

[Nikhil Kamath @nikhilkamathcio]

Bangalore has given me everything I have. This city, with all its challenges, has a unique resilience. I trust that Bangaloreans, especially the ones brainstorming in cafés and late-night workspaces, can find solutions to anything. We need more changemakers to step up and shape Bengaluru’s future.

To every thinker and every doer out there who believes in bettering our city - the Namma Bengaluru Challenge is for you.

For more details, visit: https://t.co/uPA65LWGKl

@UnboxingBlr

[Aadit Sheth @aaditsh]

Sam Altman, Mira Murati, and the OpenAI team just blew everyone's mind 🤯

There is a flood of content and demos following the launch of GPT-4o.

You only need this thread to keep yourself updated on everything:

[Sandy 🇮🇳(Sundeep) @ssingapuri]

This is how the world perceives India!! I know many will get heartburns after they watch this!!! After watching please For God’s Sake vote wisely!

[Rahul Mathur @Rahul_J_Mathur]

Premiumization is a big theme in India right now:

(1) FMCG
- 70% of HUL's new product portfolio is in the premium segment (past 2 yrs data)

(2) Electronics
- No. of new smartphone variants priced below ₹12,000 have dropped by 1/2 in the past 4 years

(3) Vehicles
- Sales pattern is a "K" shape i.e. in 4Ws, SUV sales are rising at the expense of hatchbacks

As a customer - you might be seeing this in your coffee selection, apparel options or travel decision making

[Restoring Your Faith in Humanity @HumanityChad]

listen her, have you ever thought this way??

[Essential Mastery @EssentialMastry]

Bruce Lee final message,

[Lee Harris @LeeHarris]

This is utterly brilliant. A student accuses @jk_rowling of being transphobic. This teacher skilfully dissects the claim and challenges it by asking questions.

He teaches not what to think, but how to think critically.

Watch until the end.
You see the epiphany in real-time.

[Science girl @sciencegirl]

miniature working dam for education

[Startup Archive @StartupArchive_]

Naval Ravikant shares the most valuable advice he’s received

When asked about the best advice he’s ever received, @naval says he first ignored it.

“It's the same [piece of advice] that everyone who's been in the business for a long time and has a lot of gray hairs tells you… whether it's Warren Buffett telling you about public investing or whether it's an experienced venture capitalist telling you about private investing… They'll all tell you, ‘It’s the people, stupid.’”

There are three qualities to look for in a partner: intelligence, energy, and integrity.

“You need all three. You can't compromise on any one of them. Otherwise, you'll end up with either someone who's not smart (which does you no good) or someone who's not hardworking (which also does you no good) or the worst case is you end up with a smart, hardworking crook who ends up working against your interests…”

[Brian Feroldi @BrianFeroldi]

Naval's life formulas:

[Harsh Goenka @hvgoenka]

With the cricket fever on….😀

[anshul gupta @anshgupta64]

What if people are using your name to buy SIM cards?

The government has introduced a portal named Sanchar Saathi, where you can find and report fraud numbers registered under your name!!

How to check:
1) Visit https://t.co/6wEgtwKPXd
2) Log in through OTP
3) Select the fraud number if any
4) Select 'Not My Number' and Report!

[Siddharth Bakaria @SidHimachal]

Hey @Garmin, we need your assistance to locate the missing person.

Watch Details:
📧 [email protected]
Serial Number: 5UG010176
Software Version: 13.00
Last Sync: Sep 28, 6:43 AM

📍 Last seen: Solang Valley, HP
🕰 Last time: 5:40 pm, Sept 28

His Garmin 245 Forerunner watch may hold crucial GPS info.

Details provided to Himachal Police as well to this Email: [email protected]

He's been missing since Sep 28, 5:40 pm. Phone found, watch not in range. Please share last known location and time detected.

[Pietro Schirano @skirano]

This is absolutely wild. I am completely speechless.