3524
Hiten Shah
@hiten #3524
Always building. Customer obsessed. hnshah.twitter
515 Follower 169 Following
Normcore is choosing to look average on purpose. Mid is being average without meaning to.
there once was a founder who had no idea what they were doing. they learned one thing at a time. they got a little better, a little faster, a little braver. that’s how everything started to change. slowly, then all at once.
Becoming who you want to be takes courage. Especially when it disappoints someone else. Stay true anyway. You’re building a life, not collecting approval.
It never mattered to me who said it. Only what was said. But over time, I’ve realized something: most people care more about the messenger than the message. And once you notice that, you start to see it everywhere.
Most “culture” problems in startups are just feedback problems. People don’t say what they’re really thinking. So the issues stay hidden until they blow up.
Most people start the week with a to-do list.
I start with a decision: What’s the one thing I refuse to let be a problem by Friday?
Not what should I do but what must be resolved. The list doesn’t matter if the bottleneck stays.
What’s yours?
I start with a decision: What’s the one thing I refuse to let be a problem by Friday?
Not what should I do but what must be resolved. The list doesn’t matter if the bottleneck stays.
What’s yours?
The longer you delay a hard decision, the more you confuse your team. Eventually, your silence becomes the strategy.
Good morning!
People who chase being right want to win the argument.
People who chase curiosity want to understand the world.
The second group wins more often and they don’t even have to argue.
People who chase curiosity want to understand the world.
The second group wins more often and they don’t even have to argue.
Your product is not the point. The behavior it creates is. Instagram wasn’t about photos, it was about status. Uber wasn’t about cars, it was about control. The best product isn’t the best tool, it’s the best habit.
The problem isn’t that companies grow up. It’s that they forget how to stay weird. Startups begin with wild ideas and real urgency. Then polish replaces play, and caution kills curiosity. What’s left is a company optimizing mediocrity.
Just shipping faster doesn’t mean you’re learning faster. In fact, it often delays the real learning because fake momentum feels good enough to ignore truth.
You worked nights. Weekends. Pulled all-nighters. You launched it.
Now you’re waiting for love.
But here’s the truth:
Customers don’t care how hard you worked.
They care if it solves their problem.
Effort doesn’t earn adoption.
Now you’re waiting for love.
But here’s the truth:
Customers don’t care how hard you worked.
They care if it solves their problem.
Effort doesn’t earn adoption.
Where attention goes, life follows.
Everything else is noise.
Everything else is noise.
In the end, time judges our choices. Where we place our attention shapes our reality. Spend yours accordingly.
You had momentum once. You felt unstoppable. Then one setback made you pause. Just for a moment. That pause turned into hesitation. Then doubt. Then nothing. Now you’re stuck, wondering what happened. Start moving again. That’s the only way back.
Curiosity doesn’t give you certainty. It makes you comfortable with uncertainty.
You don’t understand technology by debating it. You understand it by using it.
The best hires don’t need you to push them. They need you to clear the path.
Execution, not knowledge, is the bottleneck.
The new competitive edge isn’t resources or market share. It’s speed, iteration, and adaptability.
When I meet friends who aren’t in tech, they always ask me about ChatGPT. Every single time.
So I figured I’d share how I explain it here.
ChatGPT is an assistant that reads tons of writing to learn how people talk. When you ask something, it guesses what words come next based on what it’s seen before. It sounds human because it’s seen a lot, but it doesn’t truly understand the way you or I do.
It’s like that friend who knows a little about everything. Good at answering questions, amazing at brainstorming, helpful when you’re stuck. But remember, it’s still just making educated guesses, even when they’re impressively good.
Give this explanation a try next time you’re asked.
It works.
So I figured I’d share how I explain it here.
ChatGPT is an assistant that reads tons of writing to learn how people talk. When you ask something, it guesses what words come next based on what it’s seen before. It sounds human because it’s seen a lot, but it doesn’t truly understand the way you or I do.
It’s like that friend who knows a little about everything. Good at answering questions, amazing at brainstorming, helpful when you’re stuck. But remember, it’s still just making educated guesses, even when they’re impressively good.
Give this explanation a try next time you’re asked.
It works.
Most best practices exist to keep people from thinking.
There is no data to show
