A New Beginning
Why did I leave a great job to take this... risk? Why this particular space? (And what space is it exactly?)
I'm really excited to be a part of Paco team. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about why I left Bloomberg, why this particular space, and more. Here’s the scoop in a nutshell:
Why did I leave a great job to take this... risk?
Among my many roles at different firms, Bloomberg definitely ranks among the best. It wasn't easy leaving. I tossed the idea in my head for a couple of months after a serendipitous call with Sumit . Then I realized I could not pass up this opportunity to work with 2 amazing friends whose work I respect a lot.
No doubt about it, I do miss the paychecks already. But I feel unleashed and have been happily cranking out code while finding ways for us to grow.
Why this particular space? (And what space is it exactly?)
We are not in the space of measuring productivity, or providing analytics for boardroom discussions on how to get better outcomes.
We are in the space of helping makers shine.
At Paco, we are big fans of Paul Graham and Cal Newport’s thinking. The value of maker time and attention is underestimated in most work settings. Especially in a remote setting with no visual cues to see whether somebody's busy, it’s easy to distract people at the wrong time. However, we recognize that there is a constant tension between moving forward as a team vs letting individuals be stars. And this is the challenge we’re taking on, starting with small steps.
Our V1 is a dependency capturing and reminder solution. If you add an item to your shopping cart and get distracted, you get reminders about going back to complete the transaction. If you ask a colleague for an API specification and forget about it - nobody cares until you remember to ask again. This simple interaction imposes a cognitive load, delays your work, and causes frustration. Depending on the situation, you might run through a range of emotions from impatience to anxiety. All that for something that __should__ be automated.
The next feature we’re building is very exciting and challenging. We’ve heard a lot of people bring it up, but I'll dive into it later.
Image credit: catalyststuff