Commentary

The first call went well. I liked the interviewer. The conversation had that easy energy you hope for in a hiring process: good rapport, real…

I used to skim past the phrase in job descriptions: “must be able to handle ambiguity.” It sounded like one of those polite corporate requirements…

I grew up in a country where the social ideal was much quieter than I was. People seemed to admire restraint, modesty, and the ability…

The office was corny, and it helped me anyway A lot of people shit on corporate life now, especially the big-company version of it: the…

I understand why non-native English speakers reach for ChatGPT. You can be sharp in German, Hindi, Arabic, etc, then still have your job application, sales…

At our company, the return-to-office conversation has come back. The responses have been predictable enough: salespeople and some parents with small children seem more open…

Tried Claude Design last week. I really like it. Would I give it my highest leverage, most complex work? No. But not all work is…

I have been suddenly fired more than once. I do not mean that as a dramatic opener; I mean it as one of the less…

I understand the temptation to keep working on the portfolio site. I like the craft of it. I can convince myself that the next type…

One of the stranger demands of modern work is that it asks people who may have very little in common to make precise promises to…

I once had a manager at Meta who seemed like two different communicators depending on the room. Outside of meetings he was loose. He cracked…