Engineering leader. Builder. Systems thinker.
I lead engineering teams building products that make people’s lives easier. Currently at DoorDash. Previously Amazon, Coinbase, and founder of an algorithmic trading company.
I write about software engineering, leadership, productivity systems, and building things.
Basil hit the summit and immediately started begging for water. I had 2.5 liters — all of it electrolyte mix. A dog can’t drink electrolyte water. The look he gave me said everything. That moment — standing below the Haystack with views of North Bend and a half-clear Mount Rainier stretched out in every direction, my dog giving me the eyes, and nothing in my pack he could actually drink — was the most useful 30 seconds of the whole day. ...
13 miles, 3,400 feet of gain, a 35-pound pack, and a dog who demanded fetch when we got home. A long-overdue training hike ten minutes from my house.
Backpacking the Enchantments: What Happens When You Aren’t Expecting to Win the Lottery The Enchantments are one of the most competitive backpacking lotteries in the United States, so in 2025 I entered the lottery fully expecting to lose. But I ended up winning on my first try (Fellow backpackers, don’t hate me!) So now I had a problem. I’d entered the Enchantments lottery the way you enter a sweepstakes on a cereal box: no real plan, no expectation of winning, and that when I eventually won in a few years, I would have much more experience and training under my belt. The plan was to enter for a few years, build up a proper gear kit, and eventually do it right. Instead, I got a permit for a July 4th weekend on my very first attempt. ...