About
I write about startups, product, engineering, and AI, mostly from things I learned on the job.
This page is a starting point rather than a résumé: the problems I care about, how I think about them, and the writing that came out of that.
If you are new here, pick one topic below and start with its lead 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
Reading a few of these should make it clear what I pay attention to, and whether that is worth your time.
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.
Not chasing trends
When something new shows up, I try to work out what actually changes, what does not, and how to tell the difference.
Essays and unfinished notes
There are polished essays here, but also short notes and half-formed observations, so you can watch ideas develop.
A few scenes that shaped how I think
A few scenes that shaped how I think
Not the full career history, just the parts that still matter.
A builder first
I started as a software engineer and learned, over time, that building something only matters if people actually use it.
Startup, exit, then bigger companies
I started a company in the US, sold it, and later worked at companies of very different sizes in Korea and the US.
Still experimenting now
These days I am testing how far AI can change the way a team works, and what kind of systems help people do good work with less wasted effort.
A few standards I rely on
A few standards I rely on
Most problems I write about end up being measured against these.
- Fast execution does not help if the problem is still fuzzy.
- Good systems help people make progress without burning out.
- You only find out what AI changes by using it on actual work.
- Data does not make the decision, but it makes my judgment less wrong.
Start by topic
Start by topic
If you are not sure where to begin, pick the topic closest to your work right now.
Recommended starting paths
Recommended starting paths
If this is your first visit, these three paths are a good place to start.
If you are building something
Start here if you care about small teams doing bigger work, shifting bottlenecks, and how founders need to relearn what matters.
If you run a team
These essays are about authority, structure, and how teams learn to make good decisions together.
If you are wondering what AI actually changes
These two pieces cover most of my view: what AI changes about day-to-day work, and what it does not.
A more direct introduction
A more direct introduction
This is the introduction note I posted when I started working with Kakao Ventures. If you want the short version of my background, start there.
- I started a recommendation-engine startup in the US and sold it.
- I have worked at early-stage startups and much larger organizations, in both Korea and the US.
- Most of my current writing comes from experiments with AI in day-to-day work.
This Kakao Ventures introduction note is the quickest way to see where I am coming from.
If you want to keep going, start here.
If you want to keep going, start here.
Read a featured essay first; new writing goes out on Substack and LinkedIn.