John Lilly

@kevinakwok @matt_slotnick Steve Lobster, Esq

@matt_slotnick Who did they hire?

moltbook hired a banker for their Meta acquisition… what stage of the cycle is this?

why is every tweet now like a 1k word essay

Me, lately.

I am a proud US citizen and founder of a successful startup that employs 94 employees in the US and 180+ employees globally. I was in Dubai on a business trip meeting with financial institutions to help them fight financial fraud in the region, but now I am stranded. I expected the @usgov to do something to get US citizens out but I haven't seen any meaningful action. After 4 days of adrenalin and constant fear, I feel demoralised and abandoned by our government. It’s difficult watching other countries – UK, Israel, Spain, Italy and India – repatriate their citizens or ensure that commercial flights continue operating to bring them home. I became a naturalized US citizen because I believe in the American dream, and the idea that in a crisis, America never leaves its citizens behind. I see that American dream being shattered not just for me, but for tens of thousands of other Americans left stranded. I have 3 requests of our government: 1. Can the @usgov ensure the commercial airlines don't cancel US bound flights? I've booked a dozen flights to leave Dubai and ALL of them got canceled, even as flights to other countries continue operating. 2. If that is not possible, can the USG organize planes, commercial or military, to evacuate Americans out of Dubai and the surrounding region? I saw a very hopeful note from the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs which states, “the US State Dept is in touch with 3,000 Americans and that we should call 1-202-501-4444 for assistance with departure options.” But that is unfortunately not accurate. I am enrolled in Step and have only received generic messages. Further, on calling that number, the message you get is: "Please don't rely on the USG for assisted departure or evacuation at this point. There are currently no evacuation flights at this time." 3. With funding cuts to the US consulates and with attacks on US embassies in the region, there’s no one that Americans can reach out to in the broader GCC region. Can we set up an emergency hotline within the US that actually works, and that has someone who is taking down more details? @SecRubio just stated that there are 1500 Americans who have contacted asking for assistance to evacuate. How did they do that because I am completely at a loss on who to call? I called up 1-202-501-4444 and all I got is a generic message. Myself and other Americans need help getting back home.

@chrisfralic Bumping this to the top of your inbox

Chris, saw that First Round Capital is backing startups and helping them grow.  Any chance your business could make use of some capital options towards the end of the year?

@kevinakwok Possibly, maybe, not our best people.

What’s crazy is DoW thinks this makes them look good

Being patriotic is asking hard questions about technology. What it can and can't do. How do you ensure it works for us rather than against us. You don't get to these answers by strong arming companies.

I had a great conversation with Fortune’s @agarfinks about Flux’s journey from Burning Man to Series B — the hard parts included! Thanks Allie for your thoughtful questions and taking the time to hear our story. fortune.com/2026/02/27/exc…

Design what no one has ever seen before. (Thanks @jordihays and @johncoogan for having me!)

Mercury Personal is one of my favorite "it just works the way you want it to, every time" products. Not an investor, just wish I were. Very happy customer, especially after the SVB -> FRC -> Chase journey. The Chase app is such a user hostile experience.

Couldn't be more excited about this company - proud to invest even more in this round! techcrunch.com/2026/02/18/her…

2025 was a massive year for Figma and Q4 was our best quarter yet: → accelerated Q4 revenue growth to 40% YoY → Q4 net dollar retention rate up 5% from Q3 for $10k+ customers → adjusted free cash flow margin for Q4 of 13% → ended 2025 with $1.7B cash and investments AI offers a new creative starting point. Design is where the work connects and how you push to something great. We want Figma to be the place where it all comes together. Big year ahead!

@nrmehta Oh Nick, I’m so so sorry.

[This post is very heavy] “There are moments that the words don't reach There is suffering too terrible to name You hold your child as tight as you can And push away the unimaginable” “It’s Quiet Uptown” from Hamilton Last Tuesday, the unimaginable happened. We lost our 17-year-old daughter, Summer Devi Mehta. Unimaginable suffering. Unimaginable grief. Unimaginable fog. We held her tight for so long, with the help of so many. But ultimately, it wasn’t enough. But yet, equally unimaginable was the love. We hosted a celebration of life on Saturday, which we called “Summer Lovin’,” after the song “Summer Nights” from the musical Grease (we are all theater nerds here). About 100 of her classmates, teachers and staff joined our family and we heard countless tales about how Summer impacted the lives of others in big ways and small. One person told us that Summer lived a more vital existence in 17 years than most do in 100. To that end, Summer’s last wish was to raise $1M or more for the Trevor Project, with the goal of reducing youth suicide and having fewer stories end in such an unimaginable way. Check out Summer’s story and donate, if you choose, here: lnkd.in/g_R9RC39 We felt so much caring from the community and recommitted to living our lives with heart and purpose, as Summer did. On Friday, we handled the most painful task of cremating her remains. After the ceremony, we went to Half Moon Bay and stared out into the ocean. I imagine Summer’s spirit riding those waves into peace. The final lines of “Summer Nights” capture how we feel now: “Summer dreams ripped at the seams But, oh Those summer Nights! (Tell me more, tell me more, more, more)”

Every company and every person will one day have a magical library that personalizes their computing experience. We're the team building it. Meet Pacific:

@sarahtavel 🎯🎯

I don't see this future many people predict. Imagine finding and ordering some sushi on Doordash, by talking to your computer? For many tasks, UIs are way more efficient than language.

@adamnash 🎯🎯🎯

We train AIs on Reddit, give them a Reddit-like site, and then are shocked when they sound like Redditors. 🤷‍♂️

I, for one, welcome our new Moltbot overlords.

The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. wsj.com/us-news/videos…

Energy is the key to prosperity. Developing economies are leaping to solar + EVs because they are cheaper. Happened in telecom when they when straight to cell phones and skipped landlines. Common wisdom says there is a tradeoff between energy access and pollution. Technical progress flips that tradeoff on it's head.

@chrisfralic Solid intro

Hi Chris, Your 35 year journey from operating tech to VC insights shows you value practical wisdom over hype. Is First Round planning a token launch or looking to secure Binance or Tier-2 CEX confirmation?