2026
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Why I Left Crypto and Found Canton
Apr 30
I was initially skeptical of blockchain, so I investigated a cross-chain DeFi protocol. I found its engineering compelling and joined up. After a series of ethical concerns pulled me away, I pivoted to Canton, drawn by its robust privacy architecture and established institutional support.
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What is Canton Network (and why should you care)?
Apr 20
Canton Network is a layer-1 blockchain designed for regulated financial markets, addressing privacy, regulatory compliance, and interoperability without centralized control. Unlike typical public blockchains, Canton prioritizes privacy as a core feature and uses Daml for smart contracts. Launched in 2023, it has backing from major financial institutions and is focused on real-world applications.
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Buy them the tools
Mar 25
Jensen Huang wants engineers spending $250k/yr in tokens. Others say that’s reckless. But the debate over company-sponsored tool budgets isn’t new — and neither is the answer.
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The Gravity Problem: Why Defense AI Companies Drift Toward Offense
Feb 26
The Secretary of Defense has pressured Anthropic to permit military use of its AI for “all lawful purposes,” threatening to invoke the Defense Production Act. Anthropic refuses to enable mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, highlighting the industry’s shift from defensive to offensive applications. The situation reflects broader challenges in maintaining ethical AI boundaries amidst government…
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Short Stints, Real Experience: Rethinking Career Tenure
Jan 5
The hiring world still clings to tenure requirements that ignore reality. I’ve been on both sides — rejecting candidates for short stints and creating holes in other engineers’ resumes myself. It’s time to rethink what “experience” actually means.
2025
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Gratitude
Dec 3
Another leader once encouraged managers to express gratitude to their teams through hand-written thank you notes. This has evolved into an annual tradition for me. Sharing gratitude with your team is a way to show leadership, even outside of a management role.
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Burnout Prevention Through Strategic Reassignment
Nov 25
Corporate burnout prevention programs often miss the point entirely. Instead of addressing workload, unrealistic expectations, or systemic issues, they treat burned-out employees as the problem to be managed or removed from the equation entirely.
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When it rains …
Oct 20
Planning for an AWS outage might seem like overkill until you need to evacuate vacation rental guests during a tropical storm and your entire infrastructure goes dark. Sometimes the improbable becomes critical, and understanding your business continuity options can mean the difference between frustration and tragedy.
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Your Return-to-Office Policy is Killing Your AI Strategy
Sept 9
Organizations struggling to trust and manage remote workers will find themselves completely unprepared for the autonomous nature of AI agents. The same control issues that drive return-to-office mandates will cripple AI adoption.
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Finding Balance: Building Scalable Systems While Paying the Bills
Jun 30
Engineering leaders face a constant tension: building the perfect, scalable system versus shipping products that generate revenue. Learn how successful technical leaders navigate this balance, keeping engineering excellence in sight while delivering business value that keeps the lights on.
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Simplify, simplify, simplify
Apr 16
Recently, I’ve been diving into Walter Isaacson’s biography of Elon Musk, which offers insights into his approach to business. Musk’s approach to process improvement isn’t dissimilar from my own. He suggests that if you’re not reintegrating at least 10% of what you cut, you’re not being aggressive enough in your simplification. In my experience managing…