inward

There is a constant reminder in questioning self-existence. The questioning becomes dictatorial when it comes from within. Our origin is no less of a miracle. Even more surprising is how we have survived this far. 

The constant urge to be something better, contributing something meaningful for the greater good, the virtue alignment with guiding principles: something the mind continuously plays. 

Each one of us has a role to play in the civilization’s existence. The more we look inward, the more we start listening to ourselves, the better it will be for humanity. 

The definition of wrong or right, the action or inaction, all comes from within; our external is just a catalyst. We need to learn to go inward.

Outcome

I keep reading about how AI has reshaped pricing. Now everything is shaped by output. I feel this has always been the case. We were paying for the outcome. 

Outcome-based pricing will make product usage more costly and more focused. A customer will know, bare-handed, what they need from the software. This is best for the customer as well as software usage. 

We are entering a new phase of automation where humans and machines will collaborate, making life better. The only side effect will be faster depletion of non-renewable resources. 

As humans, we have survived and thrived against all odds; I am sure we will have some solution for depleting natural resources too. 

chance

We don’t take chances; we blame others for our failures. The small life we have is for doing something meaningful, not for playing the victim card. The ownership and responsibility of our lives depend on us. Most importantly, on our thoughts and actions. 

If you ask a successful businessman, they will not list their failures to you, but what worked for them. They have wired differently: they find opportunity from adversity.

There is a small difference between success and failure. The successful ones make use of every chance life offers them. They are not cursing others. 

wrong

There is so much that can go wrong in life. Things can happen beyond our control: disease, accident, forgery, and the loss of loved ones.

We need to see life in moments and live every second of it. Our desire to put things in the past is not fruitful. 

At the same time, living in fear of losing business, customers, and loved ones should not crowd our minds. It will only make us weak.

meaning

We have forgotten to love ourselves. The desire to get wealthy and to become something is keeping us on a pedestal. The social pressure to act, react, and interact keeps us busy. We don’t have any time left for self, for idleness and for self-immersion.  

Every decade promises a new utopia. Every few years brings a new consumerism revolution. Many fall for it and, to keep up with the trend, end up becoming who they are not. 

There has been no time for us to celebrate little achievements or milestones, unless they have meaning or are incentivised.  

Tide

It requires a different sort of mental toughness to run an enterprise. The juggernaut of switching context is one; the uncertainty is another. It feels like sailing a rocket ship in uncharted territory. The only thing that keeps you going is the undaunted faith and confidence in your actions. 

I have been meeting founders more often since moving to Mumbai, and a common pattern across them has been the same: unadulterated optimism and sailing through the tide. 

The current wave is AI. And prediction is not a solution, nor ignoring it. But building solutions and a lasting organisation adopting it. 

In these times, it becomes more important to have the company of a few advisors and loved ones who are with you and guiding you. 

makeover

We are carrying a mask: an artificial version of ourselves, pretending to act as others expect. We play roles in different settings: with peers, parents, and partners. In short, we have built a unique mental model of stimulus and response.

Everyone appears to be doing great: on social media, in their professional lives among friends, and in their love lives. It’s as if everyone is carrying a personal scorecard.

The sad part of this fakeness is that, over time, people begin to mirror each other. In the short run, it may open doors and provide a false sense of ego. In the long run, it becomes your alter ego: you forget how to live as yourself and instead become a full-time actor wearing a mask.

The world is constantly pushing everyone to become a robot with a cosmetic makeover.

Itch

People say hiring is a tough exercise. We’ve been lucky—we never really faced that problem. Maybe it’s because we’ve always been clear: we hire people who are genuinely willing to work with us and believe in our long-term vision at Taghash.

It’s been 9 years, yet it still feels like day zero. The cycle of hiring, people leaving, and even coming back continues—we’ve had 2–3 folks leave and later rejoin. As a founder, the sooner you accept this reality, the sooner you can focus on the bigger picture.

Seeing some of my earliest hires leave after a few years was painful—I’ll be honest. At the time, it felt like a personal failure. But over time, I’ve matured and learned to see it differently.

With the rise of AI, the hiring equation itself is changing. We’re no longer just chasing 10x engineers, designers, or product managers—because a lot of that leverage is now augmented by AI. What matters more is having a rigorous process, an intelligent operator, and, most importantly, the right attitude.

Our team is shipping faster than ever. And no, we’re not even using Claude like many others are.

The times are changing. The ones who will survive are those who stay pragmatic and open to adapting to the new normal.

In the end, what matters most is simple: they need to have an itch.

Defect

We live in a world where someone, long ago, set the rules. They defined what is good, bad, or ugly. What is considered a defect? If your profession is not part of a designated boundary, you do not exist. You are a defect.

People called Van Gogh a defect. The same was true of what many thought about Beethoven or Marie Curie.

Social parameters and their narrow width have killed many unimaginable inventions and explorations. We are told from early days to be good, with a list of bad things to avoid. Judgment has been predefined and determined by those who are no longer alive. This gospel has been spread in building this civilization, where everyone is running to find something, only to realize how lost they are.

The defect is not in a few, but in society itself, with its rigid rules. The fear of guilt and failure overrides courage and the will to go against the odds.

We are all suffering, sitting in cubicles, overburdened with loans, and planning our next vacation or what to post on social media for likes.