Hi Reader,

I hope everyone's having an awesome start to the weekend.

No concerts for us, but on deck we've got Four Tet, Barry Can't Swim and Rüfüs Du Sol.

This tweet made me smile with pride:

I'm 27 years removed from an introductory Comp Sci class but have spent 5 hours a day in 2025 learning how to use Cursor. (I even burned through $50 worth of credits!)

As we saw with DeepSeek, the pace of innovation is frenetic. I'm excited to be on the bleeding edge of it all - at a young 45 years old!

My entry point into AI-driven coding is Nat Eliason's course Build Your Own Apps.

If you sign up, you'll see me in the chats!

(Full disclosure: I'm an affiliate and one of the most active students in the community.)

Here are this week's top reads:

// one

Quitting and returning (to investment banking)

12 minutes | Paul Millerd

Everyone thinks escaping the corporate grind means never looking back. But sometimes the path forward leads right back where you started. When investment banker Tom Grundy returned to his old job after quitting, he discovered something surprising: it wasn't the job that needed changing—it was his perspective.

→ Read the article​

// two

One money question to rule them all

3 minutes | New York Times

"How much is enough?" It's the ultimate money question asked by countless RadReaders. While we dissect healthcare costs, taxes, and spending on “nice sh*t”, the real answer transcends the spreadsheets. Instead of tracking every penny, consider whether your spending brings you “life energy.”

→ Read the article​

// three

The word of the year is "brain rot"

3 minutes | Collab Fund

Oxford's word of the year "brain rot." Yup, you read that right. This Reddit post nails our toxic relationship with our devices. While app blockers might help, the real solution lies in facing the uncomfortable silence we're all desperately trying to escape.

→ Read the post​

Stories from my life

It's hard to believe that it's February first.

A lot of heavy and disorienting stuff has happened over the past 30 days.

Coincidentally, I started a new meditation practice (with guidance from my coach, the incredible Jess Morey) called Tonglen.

Tonglen is designed to deepen one's compassion and to help alleviate suffering in others.

The practice is simple. Here's how I've been taught to do it.

1. You reflect on your own suffering. It could be anxiety, shame or worry about a medical procedure.
2. You feel that pain deeply in your body (attempting to go beyond your thoughts).
3. Once you connect with the feeling, you imagine others feeling the same thing.
4. Then you send them loving and healing energy.
5. Return to Step 2.

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What's powerful about Tonglen is that it reverses our typical tendency to avoid pain and seek comfort.

This Week on The Examined Life Podcast

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This week's episode: How do you create leverage as an entrepreneur?​

Below the Fold
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LAST WEEK'S MOST READ

• ​The FIRE Movement (A Critique) (Jared Dillian, 726 clicks)
• ​Minimum levels of stress (Collab Fund, 565 clicks)

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And finally, meet the 76-year-old Japanese farmer putting out techno bangers.​

With gratitude,

Khe

PS, here's how we can help you:

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