Secrets
Tings Newsletter #33
If you’re new here: I’m Michael Karnjanaprakorn. I founded Skillshare, Otis and Turing Capital. These days I’m spending my time writing, investing, and exploring. Every month, I write a newsletter about life, work, and random tings. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe along with 5k+ others here.
Welcome to 2026. Following a friend’s recommendation for annual planning, I listened to a podcast that led me to the Sparketype quiz. It turns out I’m a Scientist (driven to solve problems) and a Sage (driven to share wisdom). My biggest takeaway: I derive energy from thinking, not necessarily doing.
Secrets are the new moat. We’ve long been told that “ideas are worthless and execution is everything,” or that we should “build in public.” But in the age of AI, execution can be reverse-engineered and copied in minutes. Going stealth is becoming the real judo move. Execution is becoming a commodity. Ideas are priceless again.
A trend I’m noticing: more of our friends have stopped posting on social media, and going offline is becoming a status symbol. The real flex now is living a life that feels full without needing to be documented or spent doomscrolling.
I like the idea of a friend newsletter, inspired by Nick Gray. You send a short update to close friends with life updates, lessons learned, current interests, and an open door to reconnect.
A great quote from Naval: “If you aren’t getting happier as you get older, you’re doing it wrong.”
I’m experimenting with a monthly habit + memories tracker. One page per month: habits I care about and moments worth remembering. I’m going fully analog with pen and paper. (I’m currently using a Leuchtturm1917 notebook and pen).
I’ve also started using MyMind to quickly capture ideas, links, and notes across the projects I’m working on.
I spent a lot of time flying over the holidays. A few movies I watched and recommend are Warfare, Weapons, F1, and Sean Combs: The Reckoning.
The most popular course at Penn is called “Existential Despair.” It is a weekly, seven hour marathon from 5 p.m. to midnight. Students surrender their phones, sit in silence, read an entire book in one sitting, and end the night with a deep discussion in a pitch black classroom.
Quick newsletter update: I’ve set a goal to send 12 issues this year, one per month. In the past, I waited until I had 20 bullet points before hitting send. This year, I’m shipping monthly regardless of the count. Hold me accountable!
(I don’t have anything to sell you, so please enjoy this intentionally empty space.)