Hi team! This is a guide to working with me. (Inspired by Claire)

core competencies §

• data science
• comms
• design

fields I’ve spent time in:

• statistics
• quant finance
• learning science and psychology
• AI safety (mech interp)

my role §

head of growth: part product, part marketing, part data, part strategy

think of me as 0.4(GTM engineer) + 0.4(product manager) + 0.2(chief of staff)

environment §

Since we’re early, we all have a role to play in shaping company culture. These are the traits of environments I thrive in.

• Writing first. If you made a major decision that impacts the company, please document your thought process in the wiki, or at least jot down some notes somewhere (👈 was a good listen).

what I value §

This is my checklist for deciding whether to join a company:

• learning
  • is there a steep learning curve?
  • is this a field I want to go deep in?
• team
  • can I see myself becoming good friends with my coworkers?
  • are my managers people I would grow up to be like?
  • am I inspired? will I be pushed to operate at my limits?
• mission
  • is this something I’m excited about? do I find it meaningful? is it something I’d suffer for?
  • are the people working there proud of their work? are they having fun?
• autonomy
  • will I have ownership over my work?
  • will I be restricted to a specialized role? or will I be able to take on responsibilities that interest me?
• speed
  • do people move fast and work hard?

communication preferences §

• I prefer async. To protect flow states, I don’t have notifs enabled. If something is urgent, call me or talk to me. Otherwise, please ping me — I will get back to you as soon as I’m on break.
  • In office, if I have airpods on, I’m probably listening to white noise. Assume I’m deaf — please either poke me or pop into my field of view, looking like you’re trying to talk to me. The inflatable tube man dance will always get my attention :)
• I value promptness. The most effective people I’ve worked with are highly responsive and this is a standard I hold myself to. If you need some time to decide or if you are waiting on something outside of your control, please let me know.
• I value feedback. If there’s something I can improve on, please tell me. Be direct! Challenge me. Use this if you want to be anonymous.
• I like meeting previews. I worked with someone who never accepted meeting invitations without an agenda. I like to make a bullet-point list of topics before scheduling a meeting and would appreciate receiving them.
• I like questions. I ask a lot of questions and like getting questions. Clarity is key.

work style §

• I work in sprints. I’m not able to sit at the desk and hyper-focus for more than two hours. I like to get up every hour — moving my body helps my brain move. I love walking meetings.
• I need deadlines. I tend to finish things last minute, but I always always get things done. To mitigate this, I give myself earlier deadlines and use forcing functions such as paying a friend $100 if I do not finish something by a set time.
• I love co-working in silence. If we’re working from home, I like gather.town
• I assume the best. I default to trust and like to operate as if it were impossible to fail.

how to support me §

• I may get bogged down by details too early. I move fast when it matters, so this is not been a problem as long as I give myself deadlines that feel like a fun challenge. If you catch me considering too many things that don’t yet matter, please call me out.
• I may not ask for help when I need to. I’m working on my hyper-independence. Please check in with me if you suspect I’m trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps unnecessarily and making life harder for myself.
• I can be advanced stupid and overthink things. Please tell me my blindspots.

how I can support you §

• finding clarity/getting unstuck: I’m told I ask good questions. Come to me with your problem, I can help you find the root cause. Come to me with symptoms, I can help you find the problem. Come to me with the root cause, I can help you brainstorm solutions. Come to me with your goal, I’ll help you come up with a plan.
• wordsmithing: people come to me for help with editing. I can help you give form to amorphous ideas.
• accountability: I remember promises — both mine and yours. If you need someone to hold you accountable for something, you can count on me.
• cheering you on: I find it comforting to know that belief in me is decentralized. It’s probably just as true for you. Come talk to me when you waver.