Substack Library
GlossaryThe Detour Is The Path
December 9, 2022“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.” Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), creator of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Letter From Mississippi
December 2, 2022Monday was warm and sunny in Belzoni, Mississippi. As I turned a corner in a downtown pocked with empty buildings, I was greeted with a genial “good morning” by a man with a holstered weapon on his hip, legal in an open-carry state. The post-Civil Rights Delta is a juxtaposition of amiable people, violence, progress and dysfunction.
Russia’s Post Putin Future
November 18, 2022It takes a while for hype to converge on fair value. But eventually the physics of frauds, fads and fanatics plays out. That’s been true of technology stocks twice in my life, true with artists and bitcoin and true with leaders, including Vladimir Putin, once viewed as a real-life Darth Vader and now revealed to be an impulsive, reckless tyrant.
The Storm Ebbs
November 17, 2022An accurate picture of the world balances a longer-term view against the short-term oscillations. The short-term is looking much brighter, for reasons I describe below. The long-term is a pitched but slow-moving battle around whether the current wave of disruptive technology will be used more for good or evil. This battle touches our jobs, politics, communication, finances and international relations.
The Psychology of Extremist Leaders
November 17, 2022“Narcissists thrive in chaotic times.” —Michael Maccoby, Narcissistic Leaders, the Incredible Pros, the Incredible Cons, Harvard Business Review.1
Our Problem-Solver Within
November 17, 2022Our brains do the work we give them. How is complicated, even mysterious, and the unconscious plays a critical role, particularly in creativity. With surprising speed, as the work shifts brain function shifts, evidenced by Ukrainian software engineers who rapidly went from coding to killing. Since leaving the corporate world, I gave my brain a different problem to solve and I suspect what I’ve observed since provides a lesson for anyone trying to tap their own creativity, which is what today’s post is about.
Flying In a Typhoon
November 17, 2022Most of the week I was in San Francisco and today want to share a framework for tech that I think you will find helpful. Before doing so, I will briefly touch on what is going on in the world because things are moving so fast. Whether via work, savings or relationships, we are flying through an economic/geopolitical typhoon.
Intoxicants
November 17, 2022If you are new to these essays, welcome! My name is Paul. I am a writer and investor. I wrote the book Raising a Thief about being a parent. You may have seen my writing in The Wall Street Journal. For many years I was at Bridgewater Associates, an investment firm. If you read my stuff, you will better understand money and a number of other topics as well. Feedback: paul@paulpodolsky.com. I read every note and learn from them all.
Putin’s Battle With Modernity
November 17, 2022In the fall of 1991, I landed in St. Petersburg for what would turn out to be a three-year stint living in Russia. As we taxied to the terminal, I looked out the window. A worker was cutting the grass …with a scythe. In Russia, the ancient permeates the day-to-day.