Introduction These are some of the lessons that I have learned over my 5 years at a Fintech startup that went from 0 to 100k customers and grew the team from 4 to 50 people. It would be hard for me to identify what we did to put us in this fortunate position; the market…
Author: mottalrd
Not So Random Software #48 – The Stop Experiment
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! The last few months I have learned the hard way that if you want to think clearly, you need to slow down. Because nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it. You develop a blind spot,…
Not So Random Software #47 – Thinking in Systems
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about teams; as someone who has to deal with computers every day it is easy to fall into the trap of applying software design principles to human people. Some elements do apply, but with humans the context and unique…
Not So Random Software #46 – On Data; Teams first, Tools second
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This year I have inherited a Data team and I am getting up-to-speed on what can be done to make the team thrive. I am learning how data is a complicated topic and team alignment is as much important as the tech behind it. Teams…
Not So Random Software #45 – Be present, have a strategy
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! It has been a long break, with December and January being some of the hardest months on record for me. When the pressure was high I had to remember how to be present and quickly distinguish between the vital few and the trivial many. Enjoy…
Not So Random Software #44 – Happiness, and LSTM networks
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about memory and how the simple act of remembering can help you put things into perspective and recalibrate your happiness meter. Enjoy the random walk! One article or paper Why Smart People Fail To Be Happy Niklas runs a…
Not So Random Software #43 – Radical Uncertainty and Decentralization
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about decentralization, education, blockchain uses for finance products, and when not to use probabilities to solve your problems. Enjoy the random walk! One article or paper TechCrunch – Why The Internet Needs IPFSWikipedia – The InterPlanetary File System We…
Not So Random Software #42 – The End of Average
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about diversity and how to reconcile the problem of deviating from the expected norm when hiring in business. I am sold already; You don’t need to convince me that diversity is a good thing to aim for. Said that…
Not So Random Software #41 – Expectations
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about statistics and expectations. Mental models like statistical significance and p-values help us set expectations on what are the boundaries and conditions under which we are willing to accept something as true. Without them, what would be left with?…
Not So Random Software #40 – Decisions and Team Topologies
Hello everyone and welcome back to Not So Random Software! This week I have been thinking about teams and specifically about how trust is build and broken. Creating trust and engagement in an ever-changing environment business environment is definitely not an easy job. I hope some of these links will inspire you if you are…