Philosophy Mondays: Human-AI Collaboration
Today's Philosophy Monday is an important interlude. I want to reveal that I have not been writing the posts in this series entirely by myself. Instead I have been working with Claude, not just for the graphic illustrations, but also for the text. My method has been to write a rough draft and then ask Claude for improvement suggestions. I will expand this collaboration to other intelligences going forward, including open source models such as Llama and DeepSeek. I will also explore other moda...
Intent-based Collaboration Environments
AI Native IDEs for Code, Engineering, Science
Web3/Crypto: Why Bother?
One thing that keeps surprising me is how quite a few people see absolutely nothing redeeming in web3 (née crypto). Maybe this is their genuine belief. Maybe it is a reaction to the extreme boosterism of some proponents who present web3 as bringing about a libertarian nirvana. From early on I have tried to provide a more rounded perspective, pointing to both the good and the bad that can come from it as in my talks at the Blockstack Summits. Today, however, I want to attempt to provide a coge...
Philosophy Mondays: Human-AI Collaboration
Today's Philosophy Monday is an important interlude. I want to reveal that I have not been writing the posts in this series entirely by myself. Instead I have been working with Claude, not just for the graphic illustrations, but also for the text. My method has been to write a rough draft and then ask Claude for improvement suggestions. I will expand this collaboration to other intelligences going forward, including open source models such as Llama and DeepSeek. I will also explore other moda...
Intent-based Collaboration Environments
AI Native IDEs for Code, Engineering, Science
Web3/Crypto: Why Bother?
One thing that keeps surprising me is how quite a few people see absolutely nothing redeeming in web3 (née crypto). Maybe this is their genuine belief. Maybe it is a reaction to the extreme boosterism of some proponents who present web3 as bringing about a libertarian nirvana. From early on I have tried to provide a more rounded perspective, pointing to both the good and the bad that can come from it as in my talks at the Blockstack Summits. Today, however, I want to attempt to provide a coge...
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Now that the cost of servers and bandwidth has plummeted, office space tends to be the biggest expense following payroll for a lot of web startups. Here are some quick tips on what to do.
When you are just getting going, simple get some desks, ideally at a friend’s startup. New York City also has some great deals in the NYU Poly incubators. Whatever you do, it should be month-by-month with zero lockin.
As you get larger, it’s best to sublease on relatively short subleases (12 - 24 months). You don’t know how fast you will grow and you can get much better rates (generally) on subleases. Don’t make the leases too short, you don’t want to constantly be moving as it is super disruptive.
Push off getting a primary lease as long as possible. You’d be surprised how many people you can fit into a space when you really try!
When you finally have to get a primary lease, try to negotiate an out after some time (e.g. after 5 years).
Look for buildings that are likely to have expansion space for you if you grow (buildings with other startups are good because they have natural turnover).
Don’t ever sign anything but a short-term lease without talking to your board members. This will easily be your single biggest fixed expense and you want to make sure everyone is on board.
You might also want to consider Chris Dixon’s fun list of things a startup needs in picking a location for an office.
Now that the cost of servers and bandwidth has plummeted, office space tends to be the biggest expense following payroll for a lot of web startups. Here are some quick tips on what to do.
When you are just getting going, simple get some desks, ideally at a friend’s startup. New York City also has some great deals in the NYU Poly incubators. Whatever you do, it should be month-by-month with zero lockin.
As you get larger, it’s best to sublease on relatively short subleases (12 - 24 months). You don’t know how fast you will grow and you can get much better rates (generally) on subleases. Don’t make the leases too short, you don’t want to constantly be moving as it is super disruptive.
Push off getting a primary lease as long as possible. You’d be surprised how many people you can fit into a space when you really try!
When you finally have to get a primary lease, try to negotiate an out after some time (e.g. after 5 years).
Look for buildings that are likely to have expansion space for you if you grow (buildings with other startups are good because they have natural turnover).
Don’t ever sign anything but a short-term lease without talking to your board members. This will easily be your single biggest fixed expense and you want to make sure everyone is on board.
You might also want to consider Chris Dixon’s fun list of things a startup needs in picking a location for an office.
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