Generalist · Payments @ PayPalVol. I — Bay Area, CA
Taking the scenic route.
None of it was planned: software engineer, then tech journalist, then
venture capitalist, dealmaker, strategist — and these days, payments
products at PayPal. Off hours you'll find me at the dojo, in a bookstore,
at the movies, or overthinking an outfit. Lately I also dabble in building
things, mostly small and mostly for the people I love.
No. 01
The Scenic Route
CH. 1
Software engineer
Learned how software actually gets made — a skill with a much longer shelf life than the code itself.
CH. 2
Tech journalist
Learned to ask the obvious question without embarrassment — and to write it down plainly.
CH. 3
Venture capitalist
Learned to tell a good story from a good business — they overlap less than you'd hope.
CH. 4
BD & partnerships
Learned that every deal is really two org charts negotiating with themselves.
CH. 5
Strategy & ops
Learned which slides actually move a company — and that ops is where they get tested.
CH. 6
Product builderNow
Where all of it finally compounds — the code, the writing, the diligence, the deals, the strategy.
No. 02
Currently
Reading
Good Material — Dolly Alderton
fun read so far; hoping the protagonist stops being morose soon
Watching
The Odyssey
in IMAX 70mm — what an experience. Grandiose in all ways, but lacking in soul?
Training
Kajukenbo
what I'm working on on the mat, and how it's actually going