If you're even just slightly tech-adjacent, chances are, you've heard of Naval Ravikant.

If not, he's the final boss of being rich and smart and zen.

He's probably as close to having it all figured out as one can get.

The subject line of this newsletter edition is a direct quote from him, and also one of the thematic pillars around which we’re building.

And also my (post)-Valentine's gift to you.

This week: Naval shares wisdom on curating people, Steven Bartlett takes that advice and executes in real time, and the iceberg from Titanic finally gets to move on.

💡 THE BIG IDEA

Naval Ravikant: Curating People

Naval strongly believes that certain founder responsibilities should never be outsourced. Chief among those, recruiting and culture at the early stages.

The magic happens when you find people who are compatible in all the ways that matter, and then you protect that alignment like the rare thing it is.

He also shares why he doesn’t use Slack at his current company, how to identify geniuses and hire them before they blow up, and why the best engineers are artists.

📈 PULSE CHECK

🤝 PARTNERSHIPS & THE STAG HUNT

Steven Bartlett: Collecting People

Steven Bartlett saw Georgia Gibson's culture test results showing 99% alignment with his company values, immediately called her, flew her to Bali, and convinced her to leave her own funded startup to join his company.

The entire team thought he'd lost his mind, but here's the method to his madness:

"When I find someone who is rare, who is special, who is aligned, I will break any rule that I need to break to get them on board the bus."

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Most of us settle for whoever's available rather than holding out for alignment.

We hire for the role, not the person. We date for companionship, not compatibility. We build teams that function, not teams that compound.

Steven's framework for evaluating people comes down to three questions:

• Does this person raise the bar?
• Do they make you feel wired or tired?
• And when you realize you've made a hiring mistake, how quickly do you act?

Emma & Jens Grede: Love, Family And Business

Remember back in the day when we all thought it was funny that Kim Kardashian was "famous for being famous?"

Long before we realized the importance of personal branding, Emma Grede saw an opportunity and turned that into ventures like Good American and Skims, with the latter generating $2 million in sales within minutes.

​In this podcast episode, Emma talks strategy with her husband and business partner, Jens Grede.

A close look at a real life couple actually doing the partnership thing, making it work, and dare I say, having it all.

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🌐 COMMUNITY & BELONGING

How To Deal With Difficult People

​Eric Barker shares the psychology behind broad strokes of "difficult" people and how to deal with them—from narcissists to drama queens, and even bullies.

Most articles recommend avoiding them entirely.

But sometimes, cutting people off does more harm than good. Maybe they're your family, or colleagues at a job you otherwise love.

Having some battle tested tactics at your disposal helps you work with them and not take their behavior personally.

🎭 CULTURE & CREATIVITY

The Iceberg That Sunk The Titanic - SNL

This is without a doubt the funniest thing I've ever seen on the internet.

I could try and make it about agency, or storytelling, or some other new and contrived take on Titanic.

But really, it's just that I saw something cool on the internet and I wanted you to see it too. Please enjoy.

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🏝️ LIFESTYLE DESIGN

Beyond Prenups: Relationship Contracts As Operating Manual

Prenups used to be taboo—the thing you didn't talk about because it implied you expected failure.

And now, beyond just prenups, people are creating contracts as living documents for during the relationship, not just the end.

​Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan had a "series of negotiations" and came up with a contract requiring at least one weekly date and a minimum of 100 minutes of alone time, away from home and Facebook. Allegedly.

But the contract isn't the point—the conversation is.

​Talking to NPR, Mandy Len Catron, author of How to Fall in Love With Anyone, says:

It's about being clear on values rather than building on wishful expectations.

If a contract feels like too much, even something as simple as a shared calendar is a step in the right direction—because the real work isn't the document, it's clarity on what partnership means to you.

📍 PLACES & EXPERIENCES

➕ ONE TO FOLLOW

Isabel Odida — Peering Manager at Gcore & Founder, Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG) | Kampala, Uganda

A driving force behind Africa's internet sovereignty, Isabel Odida is a network infrastructure specialist known for founding the Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG) and bridging the continent's digital divide through technical evangelism.

Background:

Isabel Odida is a prominent network engineer and tech evangelist who has become a cornerstone of the East African technical community. Currently serving as a Peering Manager for the global edge provider Gcore, she oversees intricate network interconnections that facilitate high-speed data delivery across borders.

Her career is marked by a deep involvement with the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG), where she evolved from a student to a high-level technical trainer, mentoring hundreds of engineers across the continent.

In 2020, Odida spearheaded the creation of the Uganda Network Operators Group (UGNOG), organizing the nation's first-ever Network Operators Summit. This initiative was born out of her vision to create a localized ecosystem for knowledge exchange, reducing Uganda's reliance on international technical support.

Her work focuses on the plumbing of the internet—routing, BGP, and peering—which are essential for a stable and affordable digital economy in landlocked nations. Beyond her technical contributions, she is a leading voice for women in STEM in Uganda.

Through public speaking and media appearances, she addresses the power dynamics of the tech industry, advocating for diversity and equity as functional requirements for innovation rather than mere corporate metrics.

Perspective:

Odida champions a philosophy of Technical Self-Reliance. She argues that for Africa to truly participate in the global digital revolution, it must possess the internal expertise to build, maintain, and troubleshoot its own critical infrastructure, moving away from a model of passive consumption toward active architectural ownership.

Why she matters:

Odida’s work represents a transition from Digital Aid to Digital Autonomy. By institutionalizing local network operator groups, she is creating the technical resilience and human capital necessary for indigenous African startups to compete globally without structural latency or dependency on external consultants.

Why you should know her:

Odida is a primary intelligence source and strategic node for any digital expansion into East Africa. She possesses the rare combination of global corporate experience with Gcore and grassroots organizational leadership through UGNOG.

Links: LinkedIn | UGNOG | Women In Tech Podcast​