API update: Don't do this
I wrote an API for myself 3 years ago to help others work more efficiently with me, and now we update for 2026.
Time is money
The market rate for my time is at least $1000 per 15 minutes. I started off charging like $300 per 15 minutes and I filled more slots than I wanted to take, so I kept raising the price. It’s important to randomize and inject serendipity into life, and taking advisory calls is a nice structured way for me to do this for about 2 hours a month (I’m not even sure I want to do this for $1000/15 minutes so I’m considering cancelling this full stop). Now that we have a minimum market rate for my time, whatever you want from me should be worth $4000+++ per hour to both you and me.
Time is the scarcest asset: you can make more money, you can't make more time. I have enough shit to think about and do, so let’s keep the bar really high when we do spend time together. Read my essays or follow my content so you know what I tend to like.
No new friends
I constantly meet people and am already thinking through how I can better manage all my friends and relationships. My human sociological Dunbar threshold of 150 people is maxxed out and I need staff and AI to continue to scale. Some people think it’s helpful to make introductions as a way to add value. Let me be clear: don’t intro me to anyone. I especially don’t need new bankers, lawyers, brokers, or other various service providers. The only people I want to meet are technologists, operators, practitioners that are literally the best in the world at their craft or have the raw ambition, potential, and grit to potentially get there.
My favorite saying of late is that “you can’t make new old friends.” Trust takes time and repeated exposure of excellence and commitment. It’s easy to be charming for 30 minutes; it’s hard to be charming for 30 hours.
Don't send me AI slop because I do AI better than you
I use AI better than you. I know when you AI slop me, so don’t waste your ChatGPT tokens on me. Write me something that is not in the training set.
Don’t ask me for a job / internship
Asking for a job or internship is asking for not just my money, but also my time. If you want to work for me, make it easy for me to see that you’ll make me more money than I pay you and also that you’ll give me more time. All companies (whether an investment company or a product/service company) have well-known business models, so you can calculate how you will do this for me.
Don’t be a phony
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. I will eventually find out. Just do something you love, you have talent in, and that you’re willing to eat pain to be world-class at. The authenticity will come through. You will have a shot to be truly great, and I’ll respect you for being true to what you were put on this Earth to do.
Just be direct
My 2023 API is already too wordy for my 2026 preference. The TL;DR is simple: be direct and make it easy for me to understand why you're the best person in the world to do X project with me. Fewer words the better.