My next chapter

This isn’t something I thought I’d be writing – if you read my recent piece on Thrive Journal, you’d know how excited I was to join Thrive Global. I’d long admired Arianna, and when we met it was immediately clear that we share so much: mission, values, a dedication to science-based approaches – along with… Continue reading My next chapter

Kindness is Powerful

Last night in New York City I was walking home, getting soaked in the pouring rain. Along the way I noticed other people’s umbrellas wishing I had brought mine. As the cold water drenched my hair and neck, I hoped I wouldn’t fall sick. Then the unexpected happened. Noticing my plight, a stranger about to… Continue reading Kindness is Powerful

Why I left being CTO of The New York Times, joined a startup, and am pledging 20% of my equity to charity

Doctors Without Borders goes where no one else will and works with those who can’t get help anywhere else. (Reuters/James Giahyue)

As The New York Times’ chief technology officer, I had a crucial role in guiding the company’s successful transition to digital, and an opportunity to work with and learn from some of the most talented journalists and software engineers in the world. It’s undeniably one of the world’s most influential institutions doing work in the public’s interest, and has… Continue reading Why I left being CTO of The New York Times, joined a startup, and am pledging 20% of my equity to charity

A career is like a garden (farewell memo to nytimes colleagues)

  The following is the farewell memo I wrote to my colleagues at The New York Times. Subject: A career is like a garden Dear Colleagues, As you may know, I have accepted an offer to join a startup on June 1st, and therefore have made the difficult decision to leave The New York Times,… Continue reading A career is like a garden (farewell memo to nytimes colleagues)

The Kindness of Taxi Drivers

It happened to me yet again! Another taxi driver refused to take money from me. I don’t fully understand why, but it happens to me every couple of months. Over the past several years, taxi drivers in San Jose, California; Chicago; Philadelphia; New York City and other cities have insisted to me that the ride… Continue reading The Kindness of Taxi Drivers

It is all about Balance

To be effective at anything in life, balance is required Be it personal life, leadership, management, technical work: balance is essential. You need to be aware of balance at all times. I plan to write a series of articles about this subject. Some topics I discuss with friends and colleagues: standardization vs. innovation & creativity… Continue reading It is all about Balance

Amazon NowNow Gave Me This Answer on Where To Learn Spanish

The Amazon Kindle mobile reading device comes with their NowNow service included, where you can ask any question you like and you get a response from a paid human researcher. I asked a question and got the unexpected answer below. I do believe this was an honest mistake by a researcher trying to be helpful.… Continue reading Amazon NowNow Gave Me This Answer on Where To Learn Spanish