Highlights

For as long as I can remember I’ve been obsessively searching for the best ways to improve myself and the world. I deeply believe all sentient beings deserve to flourish. Naturally this has led me to lead an unorthodox life.

I have a polymathic spirit and believe “work is much more fun than fun” (Noel Coward). I started my first microbusiness at six and have been working relentlessly ever since. All in, I have experience in 20+ fields. But for the sake of simplicity, you can say I’ve primarily focused on (1) behavior change and (2) social change.

Life highlights

  • Co-founded 27 organizations (59% still operating for 200+ cumulative years earning millions in revenue)
  • Learned from 23 jobs and internships in startup, corporate, and academic environments
  • Graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with 3 majors, 4 minors, and 2 programs
  • Experienced 4,040 “life firsts” in a 26 year-long experiential learning experiment

Most interesting work

  • Developed a protocol for helping people optimize their lives as quickly and cost-effectively as theoretically possible
  • Co-founded Effective Altruism Global, the international conference series for effective altruists (the largest in the world highlighting AI safety at the time)
  • Founded Self Spark, the global lifehacking event series
  • Co-founded Polymath Project, a nearly launched physical university for thousands of young Leonardo da Vincis
  • Helped Stanford ChangeLabs pioneer a framework for social change called “system acupuncture”
  • Helped RoadStoryUSA develop a ventured-backed museum/theme park edutainment center
  • Helped OnHand Agrarian invent a new type of high-density, sustainable fish farming

Research areas

See details. Or in brief:
 
  • Strategic life optimization
  • Behavioral shoves (complement to nudges)
  • Systemic / systematic behavior change
  • Systemic / systematic social change

Chronological history

  • Started my first microbusiness at age 6
  • Used to play Civilization for up to 18 hours/day
  • Started first proto-existential risk organization at age 15 when I realized we needed to be interstellar to ensure our survival from nuclear weapons and AI
  • Was the most prolific competitor in the world for a NASA-backed international space settlement design competition
  • Committed 90%+ of my post-financial security assets to doing the most good possible around age 15; consider taking the same pledge
  • Responded to 40+ emergency situations as a civilian over 20+ years
  • Coined 110+ protologisms and protologistic phrases over 20+ years, according to Google search results
  • Designed and tested an intervention for maximizing productivity in a single day
  • Was likely effective altruism’s first major whistleblower
  • Foresaw the rise of an SBF fiasco in effective altruism and spent tens of thousands of hours trying to prevent it 

Media

Media isn’t something I prioritize, but see here for some history.