Mastodawn

om Jul 1, 2025

Topaz Labs built a $48M business by breaking every Silicon Valley rule: no VC money, no blitzscaling, just laser focus on real customer problems. My interview with CEO Eric Yang for Crazystupidtech reveals how they did it. Lot of lessons for founders here. https://crazystupidtech.com/2025/06/30/topaz-labs-ceo-interview-visual-ai/

Meet Visual AI’s Unlikely Winner

I’ve spent over a decade following the evolution of computational photography, watching as algorithms and machine learning transform how we capture and enhance visual content. During this jou…

Crazy Stupid Tech

om Aug 18, 2024

The recent Google Pixel fracas over the role of influencers and tech ‘reviews’ is a good reminder that in this age of distributed and disaggregated information, sometimes a review is not a review.

https://om.co/2024/08/17/not-all-reviews-are-a-review/

Sometimes a review is not really a review

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again — most of what passes for reviews and coverage on social media is nothing butthinly veiled product placement, with influen…

On my Om

om Jul 4, 2024

My midweek field notes featuring everything from AI to Ozempic to Figma to the Post and some real good reads! https://om.co/2024/07/03/field-notes-07-03-2024/

Field Notes 07.03.2024

On My Mind On the eve of our Independence Day, I can’t help but think of our current political challenges. It doesn’t matter which side of the political aisle you walk. After all, the reality of ou…

On my Om

om Jul 3, 2024

Passing of WordPerfect co-creator Bruce Bastian resulted in this reflection on the evolution of word processors from personal productivity to collaboration-centric tools such as Google Docs to a new future of more personalized productivity. A short essay. https://om.co/2024/07/02/from-wordperfect-to-perfect-word-with-ai/

The Future of Writing: How AI Will Reshape Our Tools

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash Earlier this morning while reading The Wall Street Journal, I learned that Bruce Bastian, co-creator of WordPerfect, the word-processing software, had died at 76. …

On my Om

om Jun 27, 2024

Serendipity is what makes San Francisco special. Technologies, new ideas, and people collide randomly in the oddest of places, at the oddest of times. I was reminded of this when walking in the park, playing with Poetry Camera. https://om.co/2024/06/26/a-poetic-ai-camera/

AI Poetry Camera? Seriously?

Some days randomly remind you of the uniqueness of the place you call home. Yesterday was one of those days. I met Ryan Mather, who works for Sudowrite*, for coffee. He was in town for the Figma De…

On my Om

om Jun 25, 2024

Sometimes my love for cricket and startups comes together!

https://om.co/2024/06/25/why-i-love-underdogs/

Why I love Underdogs

That was quite a night. Not surprisingly, I woke up late this morning. I simply couldn’t sleep because I was buzzing from what I had just witnessed—and I still am. On paper, it was a wild game of t…

On my Om

om Jun 24, 2024

Some notable bits I gathered in my internet travels. Think of these as my field notes! Plus, three amazing long reads about the self-checkout disaster, why perpetual recycling of plastic is nonsense, and what went wrong at the Lambda School. Also, the joy of using Dot & Spiral.

https://om.co/2024/06/23/weekend-edition-field-notes-june-23-2024/

(Weekend Edition) Field Notes: June 23, 2024

On My Mind This past week, I devoted time to “personal maintenance,” undergoing the usual array of medical tests necessary to preempt potential health issues. Additionally, I faced a dreaded dental…

On my Om

om Jun 9, 2024

WWDC '24 Preview: Apple to unveil AI-powered Siri, Safari search, developer tools in iOS 18 & macOS 15. Some thoughts on Apple's Silicon Edge, and the importance of Siri especially as a brand in the invisible interface era that is upon us. https://om.co/2024/06/08/apple-ai-what-to-expect-at-wwdc-2024/

Apple + AI: What to Expect at WWDC 2024

Google and Microsoft have already shared their plans for integrating AI into their products. Now, it’s Apple’s turn. If the rumors are even remotely true, Apple will present a more pragmatic …

On my Om

om Jun 7, 2024

Something different today -- not about tech, but its impact. Let me elaborate if you’re wondering why this is a topic of interest. Whether it involves selling in-game upgrades, pursuing growth at all costs, or engaging in sports betting, I believe these practices are fundamentally wrong and not the right way to use technology. The proliferation of smartphones, affordable always-on connectivity, big data, & algorithms has facilitated the weaponization of sports betting. https://buff.ly/3Xc8jgp

Baseball’s Gambling Hypocrisy

Photo by Brandon Mowinkel on Unsplash If you’re wondering why this is a topic of interest, let me elaborate — whether it involves selling in-game upgrades, pursuing growth at all costs on Fac…

On my Om

om Jun 3, 2024

Fable Studio is imagining a future that allows users create episodes from prompts. It got me thinking -- and reminded me of early blogging platform, and wondering if that is how we will see this be a behavior with non-textual interfaces. My new essay. https://om.co/2024/05/31/why-i-want-my-ai-tv/

(Why) I Want My AI TV

Fable Studio, a San Francisco-based startup that gained fame for demonstrating the ability to create an episode of South Park with a brief prompt, is making headlines …

On my Om