About
I write about where startups, product work, engineering, and AI meet real work.
This page is less a formal biography and more a front door into the problems I keep returning to, the way I think about them, and the writing that comes out of that work.
If you are new here, the fastest path is to pick one topic below and start with a representative essay.
Background
I have been through startup building, acquisition, large-scale engineering, and leadership across product and teams.
These days I spend most of my time writing, building systems, and figuring out what actually makes work better.
Why keep reading
Why keep reading
The goal is not just to explain who I am, but to make it obvious what I keep paying attention to and why it may be worth following.
Writing from real work
These essays come out of actual product, team, and operating problems. I usually start from something I ran into rather than a topic that sounded good on paper.
Judgment over trend-chasing
I try to write less about what is fashionable and more about what changes, what does not, and how to tell the difference.
Essays and unfinished notes
You will find polished essays, but also shorter notes and half-formed observations. I want the site to show the thinking process, not just the final summary.
Where this writing comes from
Where this writing comes from
These are the parts of the story that most shaped how I think now.
A builder first
I started as a software engineer and learned, over time, that making something only matters if it becomes useful in someone else's real life.
Across company stages
I built a startup in the US, went through a small exit, and later worked across very different company stages in both Korea and the US.
Still experimenting now
Lately I have been focused on how AI changes the speed and quality of real work, and what kind of systems help people do better work with less drag.
The standards I keep coming back to
The standards I keep coming back to
Most of my writing eventually collapses back into a few recurring standards.
- Fast execution does not help if the problem is still fuzzy.
- Good systems help people make progress without burning out.
- AI matters when it changes the speed and quality of real work.
- Data does not replace judgment. It improves the quality of judgment.
Start by topic
Start by topic
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the problem space that feels closest to your work right now.
Recommended starting paths
Recommended starting paths
If this is your first visit, these three paths are the easiest way in.
For builders thinking about startups and product
Start here if you care about small teams doing bigger work, shifting bottlenecks, and how founders need to relearn what matters.
For people thinking about teams and leadership
This path is for readers interested in authority, structure, leadership, and how teams develop better judgment together.
For people watching how AI changes work
If you want a practical view of AI as a change in workflow rather than a novelty, these two pieces are the fastest introduction.
A more direct background sketch
A more direct background sketch
This is the introduction note I posted when I started working with Kakao Ventures. It is still the shortest summary of the background behind the site.
- I built a recommendation startup in the US and went through a small exit.
- I have worked across early-stage startups and larger organizations with very different operating realities.
- My current writing is anchored in testing how AI and systems change real work.
This Kakao Ventures introduction note is the shortest way to understand the background behind these essays.
If you want to keep going, start here.
If you want to keep going, start here.
Read a representative essay first, then follow along more regularly on Substack or LinkedIn.