the end of the honeymoon stage + ride-hailing
FIRE PITS, OCEAN BEACH —
i’m not completely sold on the idea that the end of the honeymoon stage is a bad place to be. things are just so - life is less about settling into something aggressively new, and more about looking for challenges when everyday isn’t innately one.
for me, the latter is harder than the former. and i’m guessing i’m not alone.
it’s been a little over half a year since i moved to san francisco (ok that feels weird as heck to say) so the grounds are a little more familiar, the butterflies are being a tad more picky. i used to actually feel inspired to journal almost every time i went on a walk last summer in north beach. now the sights feel a little less fleeting, and thus, a little less stirring.
anyways, as complacency becomes more commonplace, things are getting tougher.
anyways, that’s where i’m at and instead of doling out advice this week i’ll ask you for some of yours. but first some of my words + reads:
my words: singapore’s beam, which offers scooter rentals, and pakistan’s bykea, which offers bike ride-hailing, don’t have nearly the same resources as uber, a company worth $55.4 billion dollars. but money isn’t the only competitive advantage, especially if you’re from out of town. the international startups have found marketshare and are even claiming that they’re breaking even.
etc: alan jiang founded beam after working at uber and ofo — and both of those companies are known for their reckless and rapid growth strategies. for that reason, i was surprised to hear that jiang was comfortable waiting until 2040 until the first e-scooter could be on the streets of singapore. he told me that regardless of the wait, he’s keeping the company there because 1) the market in 2040 will be worth it and 2) the technical talent in singapore is also worth it.
learning lesson: i actually just finished up mike isaac’s book on uber which is actually on travis kalanick: super pumped. read here for my full review, but here’s a spoiler: it changed the way i look at/cover rapidly growing companies. patience is more than an ethics move. it could be what saves your company billions.
unorganized tab time:
loneliness in tech part 2: social media
i’m moderating a panel wednesday, come! (1/2 off discount code)
anyways,
but this past week especially, my Only Sf Gf* and i have been talking about this common concept a lot: we feel static. and feeling static means there’s extra room for my mind to wander and dwell on things that don’t matter much (note: i’m already the queen of overthinking). but like i said, i’m here for this next chapter, sans the rose-colored glasses, mostly because it’s part of growing up into a place.
i’ve tried some small things to make the transition easier:
i joined a book club a few months ago and although we only met once so far, that one meeting was pretty fantastic. beyond meeting new people and eating really really really good brie, the sheer energy of doing something so different gave me a boost. a couple of us stayed in that night and talked until 4 a.m. about absolutely nothing.
on sunday we went to ocean beach and stayed until the sun set and the makeshift fire pits came out. it felt surreal, and i felt like an in awe tourist.
i want to do spoken word so i’ve started listening to it more. that’s about all the progress i’ve made so far.
however beyond these scattered moments, i’m stuck. here’s the part where i ask for advice: how do you combat feeling complacent? how do you search for inspiration to pursue hobbies? is it not about getting more hobbies? am i overthinking — and if you think i am, how do you not overthink about this stuff?
anyways, that’s what’s on my mind after the long weekend.
to a not-so-linear life,
Tash
*lol the ratio is problematic