$100,000,000 Net Worth

Who am I? I'm an ex-founder/investor/creator. I was previously the founder of Skillshare and Otis. Now figuring out how to carve my own alternative path. Every month, I send out a newsletter about life, work, and random tings. Subscribe here. 

1. Ever wonder what's it like to have a net worth of $100M? I read through the "Confessions of a Hectomillionaire" on the FATFire Reddit and distilled the key points on Twitter. (TLDR: It's not what you think.)

2. The big lesson that I took away is that the best things in life (and what makes life great) are free: sense of purpose, mastery and creativity, human connections, identity and respect, routine, and autonomy.

3. You often hear "buy experiences, not things" as a rule of thumb for how to spend your money. I would take it a step further and say "buy time, not things". This can range from financial freedom to spending your time the way you want without worrying about what others think.

4. I was a guest on the Pencil Pushers Podcast. We covered the history of Skillshare, financial independence, and a bunch of other random topics.

5. Who doesn't want to build a compound with their friends in the middle of nowhere? Project Kamp is building an offline community in Portugal. Watch everything they built in the first year from the ground up.

6. I'm getting more and more into camping. From window shopping Snow Peak gear (titanium sporks!) to watching these camping videos. Zero words. Just people camping in the woods. Enjoying nature.

7. I'm a little late to this but I have now started a skincare routine. I'm using a facial cleanser twice a day. Followed by daily sunscreen and moisturizer. Trying to age like Pharrell.

8. All emails and text messages will eventually become public. The most hilarious one is from Elon Musk to Parag Agrawal (CEO of Twitter): "What did you get done this week?" (Context: This is when the Twitter acquisition deal went sideways.)

9. One of my new favorite Twitter accounts is @unusual_whales, which tracks market/crypto news. And of my favorite tweets is this one that tracks the trades of politicians who have very suspicious timed trades...

10. I like what Reflect App is doing with this community fundraising round instead of a traditional venture round. Here's them explaining why: "The truth is venture financing is for very few businesses - only the ones who have a legitimate shot at an IPO. But tech founders keep picking this option because they are enamored by the fundraising hype and press." They've raised $850K in two weeks without a single Zoom call.

11. I don't listen to a lot of podcasts consistently, but I really enjoy listening to the Group Chat podcast. "From Kanye to Kavanaugh, IPOs to DUIs, no topic is off-limits…as long as hosts Chris “Drama” Pfaff, Dee Murthy and Anand Murthy have something to say about it."

12. I saw this book recommended in Mehdi Yacoubi's newsletter: This is How Your Marriage Ends. The overarching premise: "good people who want to be married accidentally hurt one another and betray each other's trust without either partner being aware of it as it is happening until their marriage slowly becomes toxic and/or ends."

13. Tied to this, I love these relationship agreements. My favorite one: "we will not hold onto conflict... We will work as teammates to de-escalate and tolerate unsolvable conflict."

14. This is a cool hack that combines data from your Google location history to see if you and your significant other had walked past each other before you started dating.

15. So, I've watched a lot of kid shows and my/our daughter's favorite is Gabby's Dollhouse. Anddddddd... Season 6 drops on November 1st. Cat-tastic!

16. Hook me up with a subscribe on my Youtube. Once I reach 100 subscribers, it allows me to customize my channel. Topics will range from mental fitness to financial independence to cutting-edge technology to different business ideas I'll be working on (And if you are a talented editor/producer/researcher looking for freelance work, shoot me a note.)

17. I often get asked what I plan on doing next. My answer is from Alex Cohen: "I don't know a single person who works in tech and hasn't seriously thought about quitting and opening up a coffee shop in a small town in the middle of nowhere."

18. How does Mark Wahlberg balance it all? His business empire includes movies, Wahlburger, F45 Fitness, Municipal clothing, Flecha Azul Tequila, Mark Wahlberg Auto Group, Performance Inspired Nutrition, and a bunch of others. Check them out on Season 2 of Wahl Street, which I'm binging.

19. Will be in Austin at the end of the month. Excited to play Butler Pitch and Putt. Send your recommendations for good food and family tings.

20. Breaking! NASA's Perseverance rover has found organic matter in rock samples on Mars. The truth is out there. I want to believe.