Shivank Joshi

Life is all about punching above your weight all the time.

I now can't help but think about humans the same way I think about AI agents.

What does it take to navigate a rapidly shifting global landscape and build for the long term? In this episode of Exploring Minds, Ashish Dhawan (@AshishDhawanTCF) joins Shivank Joshi (@shivank_joshi) for a wide-ranging conversation on global economic shifts, India’s export opportunities, and the future of manufacturing, automation, and AI. The conversation also touches on nation-building and philanthropy, reflecting on the deeper work of institution-building and educational transformation, while emphasising long-term commitment and the responsibility of creating lasting impact. Watch Now:youtu.be/xyC5h-ovo7g?si… (@Zero1ByZerodha) #AshokaUniversity

youtu.be/JBpTfzAmhtk?si… Very good interaction with @zerodha

@naval Naval - breakdown / define intelligence?

There is unlimited demand for intelligence.

Life is about the choices you make and the timing of choice.

Gaming, Cinema, Alcohol - all caters to willing suspension of disbelief. For most people reality is a prison and hence they need to willingly suspend their disbelief. Can there be a new category ( better for you ) which helps in achieving the same state?

Life is all about taking asymmetric bets ;)

Some books I wish everyone read and internalized: Lessons of history (will and Ariel Durant) Upanishads (Easewaran translation) Path of least resistance (Fritz) Emerson’s collected essays Labyrinths (Borges) Bird by Bird (Lamott) Tao te Ching Titan (Chernow) Sidhartha (Hesse) Awareness (De Mello) Anti fragile (Taleb) All of Caro Finite and Infinite Games (Carse) Art of Gathering (Parker) Score Takes Care of Itself (Walsh) Let My People Go Surfing Endurance (Lansing) Setting the Table (Meyer) 7 Powers (Helmer) Scale (West) Shantaram (Roberts) Bhagavad Gita Creativity, Inc (Catmull) War of Art (Pressfield) Nobody Wants to Read your Sh*t The Wisdom of Life (Schopenhauer) Energy and Civilization (Smil) Influence (Cialdini) Impro (Johnston) Poor Charlie’s Almanack Pitch Anything (Klaff) Alchemy (Sutherland) Reflections on the Art of living (Campbell) Complete works of TS Eliot Thinking fast and slow The prize (Yergin) Outsiders (Thorndike) Zero to one (Thiel) Systems Bible (Gall) Positioning (Ries and Trout)

Enjoyed my podcast with @shivank_joshi. It covered multiple aspects of investing and life with several real life case studies of frauds, not so successful companies and multibagger stocks. Do share your feedback. Here are some Key Takeaways: * Buy the "Pessimism," Not the Euphoria: The biggest money is made at the bottom of a cycle when an industry is out of favor and everyone else is fearful. Avoid entering during "peak euphoria" when everyone on Social media/electronic media, WhatsApp groups is talking about a stock, as that is usually when you are heading for trouble. * Cash Flow Over P&L: Never chase P&L growth blindly; while P&L tells you about growth, cash flow reveals the truth. Financial engineering can often manipulate profits, but it is much harder to sustain fake cash flows over time. * Spot Red Flags Early: Be wary of companies with aggressive growth but rising debt, or those with high receivables, especially those outstanding for more than 180 days, which are often "bad debts" in disguise. Additionally, watch for managements that "short-change" minority shareholders or consistently fail to deliver on promises. * The Power of Leverage in Turnarounds: Look for companies with operating and financial leverage during a down-cycle. When the industry turns around, these companies can use their surging cash flows to clear debt, leading to massive equity re-rating and "multi-bagger" returns. * Investing is an Art of Behavior: Successful investing is only 2% science and 98% behavioral control. You must have the mental capacity to stay calm when a stock drops 50% and the discipline to avoid "FOMO" (Fear Of Missing Out) when you are not in the game which is performing well. *Pro-Tip: Unique mental model for cycles: See "Red" when you see a Bull (Risk in optimism) and See "Green" when you see a Bear (Opportunity in pessimism). *Analogy for Understanding: Investing in cyclicals is like shopping for winter coats in the middle of a scorching summer; it feels wrong to everyone else at the time, but it ensures you get the best value before the season inevitably changes. Here is the link: youtu.be/Mh9BOah8dwY?si…

@sircreativetwts @jointhefoundery Can you please share your number here, we will call you right away.

Hey @jointhefoundery unable to proceed further with the ai interview because of a 'no payment found' error Already raised multiple tickets.

"Curiosity is compound interest for your brain" Insaneeee

So, an idiot I know said high-priced MBAs might be a bad idea, so here's something different, and if you are amongst the lucky few that get admitted, not only do you get everything you need to build a consumer brand, you don’t pay any college fees, instead you get the capital and know-how to start the brand. @jointhefoundery

We worry that technology will make us less human. What if the opposite is true? What if our only role will be to perform our humanness? To become Rudaalis of an AI age? Today in the TOI

Attention is capital.

Agency > Intelligence I had this intuitively wrong for decades, I think due to a pervasive cultural veneration of intelligence, various entertainment/media, obsession with IQ etc. Agency is significantly more powerful and significantly more scarce. Are you hiring for agency? Are we educating for agency? Are you acting as if you had 10X agency? Grok explanation is ~close: “Agency, as a personality trait, refers to an individual's capacity to take initiative, make decisions, and exert control over their actions and environment. It’s about being proactive rather than reactive—someone with high agency doesn’t just let life happen to them; they shape it. Think of it as a blend of self-efficacy, determination, and a sense of ownership over one’s path. People with strong agency tend to set goals and pursue them with confidence, even in the face of obstacles. They’re the type to say, “I’ll figure it out,” and then actually do it. On the flip side, someone low in agency might feel more like a passenger in their own life, waiting for external forces—like luck, other people, or circumstances—to dictate what happens next. It’s not quite the same as assertiveness or ambition, though it can overlap. Agency is quieter, more internal—it’s the belief that you *can* act, paired with the will to follow through. Psychologists often tie it to concepts like locus of control: high-agency folks lean toward an internal locus, feeling they steer their fate, while low-agency folks might lean external, seeing life as something that happens *to* them.”

the best playbook is execution.

@OpenAI @sama I wish ChatGPT had a graphical and colourful interface, it’s too textual and dull. I have lot of geography questions and only reading text without photos curbs imagination sometimes.

On the accident called birth. Today in the TOI

Link to full episode - youtu.be/fAR1GLGFQJ0?si…

"What I lack in experience I try to makeup for in neuroplasticity, the younger you are the faster you can learn! " One of my favorite lines from the chat with @aadit_palicha, founder @ZeptoNow. To me he depicts excellence in flesh and blood. We spoke about how to find generational ideas, what are some clear gaps in the quick commerce in 2025 and what are some problems he would pay anyone to solve for? Must watch for anyone young who aspires to build. Link to full episode in comments.