Journal

Field notes & essays.

Music, film, business, code — long-form thinking from across the work.

Riyadh Just Became a Top-25 Startup Ecosystem — Here Is What That Really Means

Riyadh just climbed 60 places in three years to become the 23rd-ranked emerging startup ecosystem in the world. Sixty places. I have watched this city transform from my…

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Apple’s Local AI Bet: Genius or Defensive?

Apple Intelligence in 2026 — is the on-device strategy the long game or a defensive crouch against OpenAI and Google?

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How I Pitch Brands Without Sounding Desperate

The five-line cold email format that books me brand work on inbound terms — and the trap most creators fall into.

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The First 90 Days of Any New Venture: My Checklist

The exact playbook I run on every new venture in the first 90 days — the questions, the hires, the kill criteria.

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Why I Still Master to Vinyl First

In a streaming-first world, mastering for vinyl forces decisions that make every other format better. Here's how.

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What ‘AGI’ Actually Means in a 2026 Boardroom

Cut through the marketing — what business leaders actually need to know about AGI claims in 2026 and how to plan for them.

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The Case for Owning Your Own Audience in 2026

Algorithms shifted again. The only audience that's actually yours is the one you can email tomorrow morning.

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What Every Saudi E-Commerce Founder Gets Wrong About Logistics

Last-mile in KSA breaks more startups than CAC ever will. Here's the operational truth no one mentions on Twitter.

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The Lyrical Discipline of Bilingual Songwriting

Writing songs that breathe in both Arabic and English — the rules I follow and the ones I break.

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Cursor, Claude Code, Antigravity: Picking Your AI IDE in 2026

Hands-on comparison of Cursor, Claude Code and Antigravity from a founder shipping production software in 2026.

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