Jun 07
MC#005: Protest Edition —
The Law of the Instrument. When Aggressive Tactics Backfire. How Much Money is Enough? Who Guards the Guards?
May 30
Making Connections #004 | What opportunity looks like, learning by shipping & the arc of social progress —
Hey friends,
Welcome back the 4th edition of Making Connections, where we take a random walk
down tech, fitness, product thinking, org design, nerd culture, persuasion, and
behavior change.
Today we’re talking about what opportunity looks like, learning by shipping &
the arc of social progress
1. Knowing the
May 23
Making Connections #003 —
Biological thinking, no sweat workouts, "talent needs trauma", birthday coaching
May 16
Making Connections #002 (purpose, iteration, social games, + more) —
Hey friends,
Welcome back the 2nd edition of Making Connections, where we take a random walk
down tech, fitness, product thinking, org design, nerd culture, persuasion, and
behavior change.
1. Dan Pink's "Small P" and "Big P" Purpose
Psychology | Burnout
I was talking to
May 11
The Product Genius Behind Jackbox Games —
This article first appeared on TechCrunch
[https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/04/all-product-creators-can-learn-something-from-jackbox-games-user-experiences/]
During this periodof shelter-in-place, people have had to seek out new forms of
entertainment and social interaction. Many have turned to a niche party series
made by a company best known for an irreverent trivia game in
May 09
Making Connections #001 —
A list of TikTok formats, why friction can be good, working out with a mask, and Pmarca's It's Time to Build
May 08
Making Connections #001 (audio) —
00:18 - Incomplete List of TikTok Formats
02:57 - Friction Theory
04:01 - Working out with an N95 mask will not supercharge your fitness
06:04 - My problem with “It’s Time to Build”
Article link: Making Connections #001 [https://www.jasonshen.com/making-connections-001/]
May 02
Welcome to Making Connections —
A random walk down tech, fitness, product thinking, org design, nerd culture, and persuasion/behavior change.
Apr 12
How to Become More Adaptable —
Republishing my piece from TechCrunch
Apr 04
What's Going to Change —
It’s April 4, 2020. I stopped going to the office on March 13, and according my
Captain’s Log [https://www.jasonshen.com/2020/captains-log/], we’re on Day 24 of
this self-isolation. I don’t have any symptoms, but I’m assuming I have it and
wear a
Mar 14
Captain's Log —
I’ve journaled on and off in various formats throughout my life.
I kept a paper diary, shifted to a “4 lines a day” style daily journal, moved to
Day One’s electronic journal, and also do a personal review
[https://www.jasonshen.com/annual-lessons-learned/] and quarterly updates
[https://www.
Mar 09
Finding Your Edge —
I want to talk about product design and positioning as it relates to Elizabeth
Warren dropping out of the race. This is not about her politics (though I was a
fan) but her brand as a candidate.
Promoting a political campaign is not unlike marketing a new piece of workout
Feb 21
Adaptability is No Joke —
Both Startups and Improv Are About Making Stuff Up on the Fly
I recently participated in an “Improv for Entrepreneurs” workshop run by Mary
Lemmer
[https://el2.convertkit-mail2.com/c/preview/78i7h8hv/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5pbXByb3Y0LmNvbQ==]
, a founder-turned-VC who now teaches improv to companies and professionals.
I’ve done a couple of these
Feb 05
Recharging is for batteries, not people —
Last year, journalist Anne Helen Petersen wrote a widely shared piece in
Buzzfeed naming millennials the “Burnout Generation”
[https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work]
. According to Petersen, we’re overworked, underpaid, and often paralyzed by the
systemic dysfunction of our increasingly volatile world. As a result, many of us
Dec 31
Solve for the Harder Problem [Interview with Bilal Mahmood] —
How ClearBrain’s CEO Used These 7 Lessons to Create a New Product Category
Dec 14
What We Should Learn from the Away Scandal —
The spectacular fallout from a recent investigation into Away, which portrayed
the beloved luggage company as a toxic workplace, has revealed two schools of
thought on how to treat startup employees.
The first says that staff should be cherished, because harnessing the passion
and brilliance of “A players” is key
Dec 11
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World —
Why it's ok to be a jack of all trades
Aug 25
Community means friendship —
Working in tech, you hear the word “community” a lot. When I was starting my
career more than a decade ago, the concept of a community manager was starting
to go mainstream.
Today it forms the foundation of our industry’s latest IPO – WeWork. For years
they have been crowing
Jul 27
Techstars Alexa —
Midgame [http://www.midgame.gg/] was accepted into The Alexa Accelerator
[https://www.techstars.com/programs/alexa-program/], a program co-run by the
Techstars startup accelerator and the Alexa Fund, a $200M fund for Amazon to
invest in voice tech companies. We’re two weeks in and over the next few
Jul 03
Conflict Isn't Always Bad —
My natural tendency is to avoid conflict. The few times I fought in school, I
was caught and punished for it and it didn’t seem never was worth the trouble.
It’s also the case that needless conflict can be harmful to both parties,
because even if you “beat”