68: Rules Aren't Real 📐
Dispensing with the status quo is the key to escaping mediocrity.
The newsletter for thinking deeper and working smarter.
Get the email newsletter and unlock access to members-only content and updates
Processing your application
Please check your inbox and click the link to confirm your subscription.
There was an error sending the email
Get started with our best stories
67: Not all that glitters 🪩
In one morning I came across three stories that made me think twice about the ‘metaverse’. It’s not some abstract future dystopia—it’s already here. Many of us already inhabit mini-metaverses full of personalised algorithms, and few of us are ready to take off the headset. The first...
66: Win the small hill ⛷
Sometimes in order to win the game you're optimising for, you must lose the ones you've been told were important.
65: What you want for dinner 🍽
How often do you revisit ideas you believe to be common sense? When thinking of possible ways we could develop our thinking or improve our lives we naturally gravitate to new ideas instead of investigating existing patterns. When you start thinking from first principles, a lot of things you might...
64: Constraints and consistency 🎲
People become great by being creative within the boundaries and persisting when others might quit.
63: Nobody cares 📵
Sometimes you will be out in the field, pushing the limits of expectation, on the verge of changing the world, and not a single soul will care. The masses often sleepwalk through innovation. You can only make great things if you’re willing to be ignored and unafraid of going...
62: The hard thing about hard work ⚒️
Brandon Sanderson is one of my favourite authors. If he writes something I’m going to eat it up. But not immediately. Because Brandon likes to write big beefy books that could double as self-defence weapons or stools for small cats. He writes a LOT. He recently surprised his entire...
61: It Sounds Better Over There 🎋
Whenever words are carried by saltine winds over vast expanses of water, they somehow gain the magical property of resonating clearer in our minds. This is why we seem to fall head over heels in love with wisdom from faraway lands. It explains our obsession with Ikigai. It’s why...
60: The Sum of our Parts 🧩
No one human knows how to make a pencil from scratch despite it seeming like a fundamentally basic thing - something every child can use. To construct something as simple as a pencil takes mining graphite, cutting wood, shaping metal, and figuring out whatever modern erasers are made out of....
59: Greener Grass
The Sword of Damocles has become synonymous with imminent danger and the threat of sudden calamity - but that’s only half the story, and perhaps the wrong half to focus on. If you’ve never heard of Damocles before, you’re in for a treat! The story of Damocles...
57: The Power of Impostors 👻
What the heck is an impostor anyway? Someone who is not supposed to be there. An impersonator. A copycat. A covert intelligence gatherer. Uninformed. Uninitiated. Uninvited. Maybe that’s you. It’s definitely me—but maybe there’s power in that. The ones who are different I am not supposed...
A Tree in the Woods
If the cameras turn off, do the Kardashians still exist? People are designing their lives and actions around black camera lenses, hoping that an audience will exist on the other side. People stand alone in rooms swinging their arms violently and making faces at the wall, because TikTok promises their...
56: Finding your passion 🔮
People spend their lives chasing passion. We have dreams of what life should be like. What it could be like, once we find the magic that's missing. We all want to get paid to do something we love. And we want to be paid well for it! To...
55: Almost Invisible 👻
We quickly get used to the sound of alarm bells. My smart watch keeps vibrating, every single hour, reminding me to stand up. I turned on the feature because I know sitting for too long is unhealthy. And when I say I know, I KNOW. I know it in my...
54: A glass half full 🥃
Is the glass half empty or half full? Apparently, your answer indicates whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist. I think that’s silly. It’s a question of orientation, not optimism. Are you picking it up or putting it down? What’s your motivation in the scene? Are...
🎙️ Framing, Marketing, and Wealth with Arielle Jackson
David speaks with Arielle Jackson, a marketing expert in residence at First Round and in her own consulting work where she helps hundreds of companies build their positioning and brands from the ground up. Arielle gained product marketing experience at Google, helping grow Gmail in its early days. At Square,...
🎙️ Music, Reinvention, and Luck with Richie Brave
David speaks with Richie Brave, a presenter and broadcaster featuring on BBC 1xtra, BET, Channel 4 and more. He is an active voice in challenging social dynamics and speaking up for marginalised communities. He is also the host of 1Xtra Talks with Richie Brave that explores the realities of Black...
Why I write
Writing is what I do. It's why I did well professionally in corporate law and in tech strategy. It's why I could grow a readership of 35,000 curious minds at theknowledge.io in my spare time. I also happen to be an award-winning fiction writer....
🎙️ Altruism, Effective Leadership, and Compassion with Bob Gower
David speaks with Bob Gower, a consultant, speaker, and author. He is the Managing Director for Organisational Effectiveness at changeforce, and one of the world's most sought-after experts on high-performing teams. Bob has authored three books: Agile Business, Radical Alignment, and Getting to Hell Yes. They talked about:...
Mini-metaverse theory, Democracy, and why Science is dogma
An off-the-cuff recording where I talk about my note-taking process, Sam Harris, Peter Thiel, the power of conversations, my theory of Mini-metaverses, simulated experiences and meditation, why luck is fractal, and Science as dogma. Chapters * 0:04 Introduction to the Update * 1:46 Mini Metaverse Theory * 6:08 Conversation vs....
🎙️ Authentic Ideas, Social Media, and Writing with Wes Kao
David speaks with Wes Kao, an entrepreneur, coach, and advisor who writes a newsletter. She is the co-founder of Maven, an edtech company that raised $25M from First Round and Andreessen Horowitz. Previously, she co-founded the altMBA with Seth Godin. Wes now writes for over 300,000 operators across LinkedIn,...
Recommended
