Research Explainers 9 min read

Self-Improvement Needs a P&L

AlphaFund's whitepaper reframes recursive self-improvement as a measurable capital-allocation loop: create more edge than you lose, then reinvest the gains. The framework turns improvement into an investment decision governed by measurable returns and downside.
Profile 7 min read

Lessons from Julia Evans

Julia Evans is a software engineer and Wizard Zines creator who makes networking, the Linux kernel, and complex topics accessible through illustrated guides. Her methods show how careful learning, systematic debugging, and generous explanation reinforce one another.
Profile 9 min read

Lessons from Barbara Liskov

Barbara Liskov helped turn software development into a discipline through abstract data types and formal rules for subtyping. Her work on CLU, Argus, the Liskov substitution principle, and distributed systems shows how sound abstractions support reliable software.
Profile 8 min read

Lessons from Leslie Lamport

Leslie Lamport created LaTeX and the Paxos algorithm, tools for writing and synchronized distributed systems. His central argument is that complex software requires mathematical rigor, because writing more code cannot substitute for correct reasoning.
Profile 9 min read

Lessons from John Ousterhout

John Ousterhout, a Stanford professor and creator of Tcl, argues that managing complexity is engineering’s hardest problem. His work on Raft and A Philosophy of Software Design offers practical principles for building systems that remain understandable and maintainable.
Profile 9 min read

Lessons from Nadia Eghbal

Nadia Eghbal examines the social and economic infrastructure of the internet, especially invisible labor sustaining open-source software. Her work asks how individuals navigate power, find funding, and maintain digital systems while the surrounding rules keep changing.
Profile 9 min read

Lessons from Maggie Appleton

Maggie Appleton is a designer and cultural anthropologist who studies how people interact with digital systems. Known for popularizing digital gardening, she examines the cultural mechanics of AI, spatial software, tools for thought, and the changing web.
Profile 8 min read

Lessons from Alex Rampell

Alex Rampell, an Andreessen Horowitz General Partner who founded TrialPay and Affirm, maps finance’s absorption into tech products. He connects distribution, banking moats, and lending math to a future where software companies sell automated labor rather than seats.

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