Ep. 24: Linus Lee - Engineering for Aliveness
I talked to Linus Lee (@thesephist ) about how technology and software might enable “instruments for superagency,” amplifying our humanity rather than diminishing us.
Linus’s stated mission is using software to help us become *clearer thinkers and more prolific dreamers*.
Today, he builds and explores how AI can enable the the teams at Thrive Capital. Over the years, he’s built over 100 personal projects, while researching and building across roles at Notion, Betaworks, and Replit.
Highlights:
- how interfaces can be more like turn-by-turn nav or maps, trading-off ends and means
- why great tools abstract \*and\* introduce complexity
- why long-division on paper might point us to new thinking tools
- why there’s “no true generality” with LLMs, even if we convince ourselves otherwise
- mapping the latent space of what we mean when we say people are “smart” or “cracked” or “spiky”
- what it looks like to bring an engineering mindset to systems, products, and teams
- building an “iron man suit” for the team at Thrive
- dream, beauty, and wonder as the engine of our technological exploration
Available, including transcript, at links in bio.
