Hello 2026

The place where I’m Head of Engineering is my biggest headline. Nearly 500k customers, $MMM in processing and revenue, small engineering team, and it feels like the EVALS days again - good people, real impact, actual smiles. Big announcement coming in February 🀫 2026: SMILES X 1290320993930223 😍 But, as the…

25 Years Ago, Maverick Records Contacted Me.

Back in late 1998, I was running one of the top 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 fan websites called "πŸπŸ“ π’π­π’π­πœπ‘πžπ¬". I was just a Sacramento kid, completely obsessed with Deftones, the hometown band who felt like they knew me 🎸 The site wasn't just some side projectβ€”it was my heart and soul,…

I Don't Fear Death.

I get emotional, knowing that the blankets of memories I’m making with my family will one day come to an end.Β  I recognize all they will have are these blankets, and I hope they snuggle with them, reflecting on what we created together. These memories are all I am…

Nobody Cares That You Use AI

Claiming your company uses or features AI is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 a. selling. point. or. a. bonus. Thank goodness when we bought our cars, the salesman told us that they use robots in the factory! When I pick a restaurant, I make sure they are bragging that their kitchen has ovens. Our banks…

My Kids Think I'm Boring Because I Don't Understand 6-7

When I was their age, I was a legend in the 80s and 90s...... lets take a step back for a moment. I Dug Tunnels. My baseball cards were organized in their boxes, carefully collected through incredible trading skills, and treated like gold. I'd trade for my favorite…

I Raised $12M To Disrupt Your Mouth!!

The Future of Oral Care Is Agentic! Story time!! Lets go back to my California roots. The California Gold Rush, retold to be historically accurate today. Nobody found gold. A guy wrote "GOLD" on a rock and got funded. A man who had never touched dirt gave a…

I Sold My Company in 2017. It just showed up at my dinner table.

My son is an AEMT at a local fire department, and I just learned, that they use software I built in 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Circa 2011, I had an idea and pitched it to everyone who would listen, securing a $1M investment. I wasn't trying to conquer the world nor…

I Earned the Carnegie Medal For Best Dad.

Presented to me for services performed from 2006-Current. I’m still in service. My wife and the kids know what they will endure, sustain, and embrace when I’m around. Sure, they always ignore the fine print, but it is there. I’m the guy whose hand drifts toward the…

I Wrote Another Book!

A study put out by "Jake Toolson University" cites that "..being predictable is boring." - 1981, LIFE. In an interview conducted with their chief DGAF, Jake Toolson.. . Actually, he walked away from the interview. The people with answers are usually selling something. Stop being boring ❀️ Jake…