Founder Cycle, People Watching & Dopamine Addiction

Tings Newsletter #20

Who am I? I’m Michael Karnjanaprakorn. I’m the ex-founder of Skillshare and Otis. Now exploring what's next and sharing my journey. Every month, I write a newsletter about random tings.

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1. Since my last newsletter, I took a solo getaway to NYC. I gained five pounds, but it was well worth it. Culinary highlights included Hamburger America, Taku Sando, and Taqueria Ramirez. I also got a cancer screening through Ezra, now part of my longevity protocol, and bought my first Dadcore shoe.

2. I, along with some friends, have launched a new project called “People Watching.” It’s a newsletter that highlights great people who are under the radar. Often, these people are just one connection away from accelerating their success. Our hope is to make those connections. Sign up for free here.

3. I’m drawn to the idea of building a “Calm” Company: sustainable growth, few meetings, no fixed work hours, purpose-driven, profit-sharing among the team, and a calm environment. I value freedom and flexibility, financial independence, quality craftsmanship, and fun. Why not integrate these values into work?

4. One great example is Outseta, which has one of the most innovative cultures I’ve ever seen: everyone makes $210,000, and you can choose to work 1 day to 5 days per week. They operate without budgets, targets, or OKRs and prioritize “life profitability” among the team. I interviewed one of the co-founders for my podcast, which will be released this Tuesday. Subscribe to get notified here.

5. My most popular blog post last month was Lifestyle Design, which is how you spend your time, energy, and money. The core idea is to proactively design a life optimized for your values rather than following the “default” life path. I dive deeper on my YouTube channel here.

6. Most repeat founders go through the same cycle. The lucky ones opt out, like Brian Lam. After selling Wirecutter for $30M, he retired to Hawaii to pursue artisanal carpentry.

7. I enjoy reading about what people do after making a big career shift, selling a company, or exiting the tech world. Brandon Chu shares reflections on reinvigorating himself, Shreyas Doshi talks about what he’s been up to after leaving Stripe, Dave Kang discusses his first year on sabbatical, and Andre 3000 has found peace.

8. I have been struggling with dopamine addiction. This article highlights the state of our culture — particularly dopamine culture. I plan to delete some social media apps from my phone and possibly delete my email app too.

9. Sequel is your personal AI longevity assistant. You can upload everything from “blood labs to MRI and DEXA scans, supplements, and pharmaceuticals.” Sequel then uses that data to answer any question you might have about your health.

10. “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world,” and there’s no better way to teach it than at an early age. Inspired by what Val Kayayev has done with his kids, I created a plan for how I will approach it with mine.

11. Kevin Kelley is back with 101 additional pieces of life advice. My favorite: “Interview your parents while they are still alive. Keep asking questions while you record. You’ll learn amazing things. Or hire someone to make their story into an oral history, documentary, or book. This will be a tremendous gift to them and to your family.”

12. Cobie is back (after a two-year hiatus) with his hot take on new token launches within the crypto market. I love his disclaimer: “And as always, please remember: I am not a financial advisor, I am a biased and flawed human being, I am washed up, I am an idiot, I am mentally beyond my peak and declining into my twilight years, I am stumbling through the world trying to make sense of everything and very rarely succeeding at that. I am literally a participant in the crypto industry which means it is unlikely my IQ is even close to double digits” 😆

13. I've been exploring Startup Studios, which is a company that creates startups. I like what Boulton & Watt is doing, taking a slow approach. If you’re interested in startup studios, this is great research on the topic.

14. We’re entering an era where AI agents execute workflows for you. (Check out what Loom just released with AI SOPs). There are three types of AI Agents: a) personal agents for consumers (e.g., scheduling meetings), b) role-based agents for employees (e.g., reviewing contracts), and c) company agents for businesses (e.g., customer service). In the future, we will be communicating with AI as much, if not more, than with humans.

15. There’s a new trend around Business-in-a-Box, also known as franchises, tailored for the digital age. Forerunner discusses it here, too. This concept can be applied to everything from Moxie (for medical spas) to Moega (for pet groomers), allowing anyone to launch their own small business.

16. Sahil introduces a new equity model from Gumroad that pays freelancers in equity and dividends. Once they build stock buybacks through Flexile, that’ll be an absolute game-changer.

17. Who is building the “if I die, here’s all my important info (banking, bills, last will and testament, etc) software?

18. Why are members-only clubs everywhere right now? “All the responses taught me that these clubs fill voids, most commonly an almost juvenile yearning for friends under the guise of the word community.” But nothing is as hilarious as Signet Sunday’s Country Club (which is obviously fake).

19. If you want to understand the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Chet Hanks sums it up nicely for his dad, Tom.

20. If you love dogs and want to feel good or cry today, watch this video.

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If you have any ideas, suggestions, or feedback, hit the reply button.

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Until the next one.

Michael