raad

@PaulAustin3w Sin clauses are not a new thing though. Most tier 1 vcs wont do it.

A "no psychedelics" clause in your term sheet. That's the direction things are heading. On last week's All-In podcast, Bryan Johnson shared that investors are now writing 'no psychedelics' clauses into deal docs. One investor told him directly that if they invest in a founder, that founder is not allowed to use psychedelics for the duration of the company. It's written into the agreement. Two weeks ago, Marc Andreessen went on David Senra's podcast and proudly declared he practices "zero" introspection. Then he doubled down on X for days, calling introspection a combination of "neuroticism, narcissism, and thumbsucking." Paul Graham pushed back, the internet had a field day, and like any "great man," Andreessen doubled down on his idiocy. The pattern is clear: Silicon Valley's investor class is building a narrative that introspection is dangerous, psychedelics are a liability, and the best founders are the ones who never slow down long enough to question why they're building what they're building. ...which is one of the worst possible developments for the future of innovation. Here's what actually happens when a founder works with psychedelics with real intention, proper preparation, and experienced guidance. They don't "get oneshotted." They get clarity, starting to see which parts of their work are driven by ego and which by genuine purpose. They often come back more committed to their companies, not less, because they've reconnected with the reason they started building in the first place. And what about the founders who leave? Many of them probably *should* have left. They were building something that wasn't aligned with who they actually are. And investors treating that as a risk to manage rather than a signal to pay attention to tells you everything about where priorities sit. We are entering the age of AI, where the most valuable companies will not be the ones that simply optimize for speed and scale. They'll be the ones who create things that actually matter to the humans using them. That requires depth and a willingness to ask hard questions about what you're building and who it serves. It requires, yes, introspection. The VCs who get this, who actually support their founders in exploring psychedelics with intention and responsibility, are going to end up backing companies that leave a much more positive mark on the world. Not because psychedelics are magic, but because founders who understand themselves build products with a deeper sense of devotion to the craft. They stay aligned with all stakeholders, not just the ones writing checks. Marcus Aurelius, as Andreessen pointed out, ruled one of the largest empires in history while maintaining a rigorous practice of self-examination. The Meditations is literally a book of introspection. And he managed to hold it all together even while engaging in psychedelic-infused rituals (!) The question isn't whether psychedelics make founders less effective. The question is, what kind of companies do we actually want to be built in the most transformative technological era in human history? And do we really want investors, afraid of depth, to be the ones deciding?

@fahdananta Eid mubarak to you and the family

I don't think even Chomsky would say that anyone who is friends with him should "wholeheartedly" endorse whatever he did, no matter our views of it. He often said the opposite. He had no problem criticizing specific views of mine, nor did I. The one time I talked about this Epstein/Chomsky matter, it was to say that I was mostly baffled why Chomsky would develop such a close relationship with someone like Epstein. I now feel like I understand better why this happened, as I said. I don't think it remotely makes Chomsky a likely pedophile or someone sympathetic to sex crimes, nor does it make him someone whose entire life and work should declared cancelled by this: as many on the left, predictably, are insisting. Nor do I think it is much beyond an error of judgment that all humans, at some point, make. And it has to be weighed against the far more significant value not only of his work but also his exemplary behavior and treatment of others for the many decades of his public life. But Chomsky himself long argued that people shouldn't have "heroes" whom they place beyond the realm of criticism, and I don't think such a standard should be invoked on his behalf.

@WillManidis Fantastic read as always. You have the rare ability to see finance, culture, art and occultism with the same pair of eyes and I really appreciate it!

2/ Academics & intellectuals are courtiers at heart. They bow to patrons. This runs back 3000 years. Even the lefties are conformists in a certain social structure. I happened to be ferociously independent and have f***you money. This makes patrons uncomfortable. More stories.

@harleyf @MaxRSharp @HMcPhersonNDP x.com/cenkuygur/stat…

@MaxRSharp @HMcPhersonNDP x.com/nypost/status/…

This is a dangerous response. Cheering the illegal abduction of a foreign head of state and celebrating U.S. control over another country is wrong. Canada cannot pick & choose when international law applies. If the rules only matter when it’s convenient, they don’t protect anyone

@lucyhargreaves4 😮😮

Dec 26 is my new year. 21 years ago today, I got a second chance at life. Surviving the tsunami in 2004 is a moment that changed me forever. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to live a life I'll be proud of whenever it's my time to go. It means: > I take risks > I embrace change > I strive to make an impact > I don’t settle for “good enough” > I tell my family + friends I love them, often Do me a favour and take a moment today to reflect on what an incredible gift it is to be alive. Don’t waste it. ❤️

@RCarhartHarris I like his overall thesis that civilizational progress is helical (versus linear or cyclical)

What are people’s views on Ken Wilber’s ideas and this book?

@PaulAustin3w Will it make him less of an insufferable asshole though 🍿

Holy shit, Conor McGregor just got back from ibogaine, his first-ever intentional psychedelic experience, and it appears it was massively healing for him. First Aaron Rodgers, then Brett Favre, now Conor McGregor. Which mega-athlete superstar will be next?

@bryan_johnson If you dont want to listen to a typical european classical music playlist, I suggest ‘music for psychedelic therapy’ or ‘ritual’ by Jon Hopkins music.youtube.com/playlist?list=…

What is your recommended playlist for a 5 gram magic mushroom journey…

Do you think the labs use the Japanese concept of Ikigai when deciding whether or not to make porn a part of their products? It’s a powerful framework

@businessbarista Ai!

The best AI tools & tactics are stuck in private chats and buried Slack threads. So I'm spinning up a few WhatsApp groups for folks who are actively using AI in their day-to-day. First is an AI group for ceos/founders. Second is an AI group for engineers & engineering leaders. Third is an AI group for marketers & marketing leaders. No sales pitches. Just smart people sharing how they’re using AI to move faster, do more, and stay ahead. If you want to join one of these groups, reply with "ai" and I’ll DM you an invite.

you mean to tell me ive been blocked from my own creative expression because I haven’t grieved the dozens of creative dreams and projects that never made it because you can’t skip the beautiful composting power of grief that fuels new creation??

@fahdananta A complete fucking imbecile

@realAtlasPress Lmao robbed $40 trillion from the Indian subcontinent but “promoted education”. Whatchu smoking bro? Puff puff pass pls.

Western Civilization has largely been a force for good. A prime example is the British Empire. In many places it occupied it: -raised the standard of living -developed infrastructure -promoted education It also single-handedly ended slavery for much of the world…🧵

@ftnabeelah Whaaaa! Ive been trying for a week lol. They said credit cards were down.

@raad_seraj wdym :o it accepted my visa credit?! they didn't accept credit cards? :OOO

on the edge of plotting a nonsensical trip to pick a fight with the cbsa officer

@yacineMTB @paulg Who hurt you bro. Eat some mushrooms and heal your daddy issues.

@paulg Do you want to live in a lawless world or something? There is nothing wrong with helping the authorities

It's a very exciting time in tech right now. If you're a first-rate programmer, there are a huge number of other places you can go work rather than at the company building the infrastructure of the police state.

@ZulkarnainSaer I agree with you on all fronts. I’ll add that theres the game itself, and there are the rules of the game. Both have to happen at the same time. Capital is a confidence game for good or bad.

When you rank 168 out of 190 in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking, such investment summits and corny presentations are nothing more than grandstanding. In that way, Ashik Chowdhury is exactly like other figureheads in the interim government: high on flash, low on substance. Reform is at the core of interim government. Did the interim government implement any meaningful reform to change the investment climate? Could the government have not focused on making improvements on that front so that Bangladesh climbed up the ‘Ease of Doing’ business instead of organizing such a pointless event considering the political turmoil Bangladesh is going through. To be fair this felt more like a networking event to build one’s personal contacts and profile. In our region, i. e. South Asia, we are just above Afghanistan in that ranking. Even Nepal, which has the lowest collective intelligence quotient (IQ) level in the region, ranks way above us. Instead of signing contracts with China or Korea to build advanced vocational institutions to develop human capital, which is our core selling product, to attract manufacturing giants, Mr. Chowdhury thought of signing Artemis Accords with NASA! What does it mean? I’m quoting from NASA’s website: “By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space”. You are concerned about peaceful exploration of (outer) space — which in Mr Chowdhury’s own words might reap benefits 35 years from now — when there are so many pressing issues at hand that need urgent attention. Private sector credit growth hit a 21-year-low in February and foreign direct investment dropped 71 percent in the first six months of the fiscal year, capital machinery imports are shrinking and you want to distract attendants with this announcement? Instead of streamlining the investment process and selling actual one-stop investment modality to potential investors, you indulge in arranging a circus like this. The presentation that everyone is going gaga about does not address how they plan to eliminate the obstacles faced by the foreign investors. We need someone who is a process driver with the ability to see things from the investors’ point of view and not a skydiver who hires a PR firm to let one and all know about your hobby. You publicise the wishy-washy merger announcement of a Bangladeshi start-up involving a vague transaction and a business family’s announcement of a family fund as if they are the successes of this government. Is it possible to become a bigger credit hog than this? It frustrates me to see how the members of this administration are misusing state resources and the vested positions for their personal future improvements. Correct me if I am wrong, but I am not aware of any previous BIDA chairperson that was given the status of a state minister, or even a non-military person with any exposure to security/defense entities was made the national security adviser. You know what would really make a difference? Anti Corruption summit inviting major partners countries to seek their support to combat corruption and money laundering. The Awami League regime used to indulge in such cheap stunts to distract the public and this administration has matched that level in just eight months. So unfortunate — did so many sacrifice their lives in the Monsoon uprising for this bunch to enjoy unchecked power?