A growing list of questions I’m eager to unpack, but haven’t had the headspace to tackle yet. If you can break down and explain any of them to me — bonus points for any great pointers of links, research papers, or real-world anecdotes — the next coffee (or bubble tea) is on me! Email
Startups
¤ What combination of founding-team attributes (backgrounds, network, domain expertise) most reliably predicts a startup’s growth?
¤ To what extent do innovation clusters / incubators (e.g. Silicon Valley, YC, NEO) drive startup success?
¤ How can you identify a start-ups that will be on a breakout trajectory?
Technology & Infrastructure
¤ Why is internet access so expensive? Is it possible to reduce deployment + maintenance costs while increasing bandwidth?
¤ Why do MTA trains run at such low average speeds? What inexpensive signaling, scheduling, or upgrades could halve travel times?
¤ With today’s focus on AI and “vibe coding,” why are there so few cybersecurity startups compared with AI-focused ventures?
Economics
¤ Why is manufacturing in the United States so expensive and operationally complicated compared with peer economies?
¤ Is it possible to eliminate federal income tax for households earning under sub $100k per year, once revenue loss and macroeconomic feedback loops are modeled?
Politics
¤ Is democracy the only viable solution? If so, how could we identify the best candidates using an algorithm that evaluates domain expertise, knowledge, agility, mindset, and other factors?