Author’s note: Another week. Another pre-professional article. I’m riding this wave of inspiration for as many weeks as I can, before returning to our scheduled programming!

When I was a consultant at McKinsey, I had no idea how a company actually worked.

Seems like a crazy statement, but hear me out.

As a consultant, I spent a lot of time hyper-focused on one specific part of a company. Either I was embedded deep into a function, or I was pie-in-the-sky opining about the future of an industry in 3–5 years.

So at the time, I knew a ton about how…

I get a lot of questions on LinkedIn from post-undergrads looking to leave their current industry and go into tech — whether it be a Facebook/Google-type or a small startup.

And looking back on my own recruiting experience in the summer of 2019, I have to admit that I wouldn’t have gotten to my position now without the help of so many friends and mentors, helping me decode the jargon and navigate the amorphous process.

Now it’s time for me to pay it forward.

This article is a summary of the numerous conversations I’ve had with folks — and hopefully…

There’s no need to rehash the catastrophic impact that climate change will have (and currently has) on our planet. Nor do I feel the need to list facts that highlight the existence of human-driven global warming, nor statistics that showcase the magnitude of damage we have on our planet.

I firmly believe that global warming is the most pressing, and most existentially threatening issue of our lifetime, and I hope that everyone reading this will agree with that statement.

As the Doomsday Clock — a symbolic clock that denotes humanity’s remaining time left — ticks 100 seconds to midnight, how…

The beauty of working in a startup (and something that I’m grateful for everyday) is the opportunity to constantly think about the future.

Every startup has a lofty vision for how the future will unfold and how to change the world for the better.

It’s that unwavering belief in the future that motivates people like you and me to join.

At startups, we’re solving hard problems that no other company has cracked yet. And every day, we set off into the unknown with only our vision of the future as our guiding compass.

Moreover, we need on top of every…

PayPal officially launched its crypto product to its U.S.-based customers on November 12, 2020.

Since then, crypto has experienced a massive boom — both in its market capitalization, as well as its mindshare in mainstream media.

Since PayPal’s crypto launch:

• The total crypto market cap has surged nearly 30% in less than a month, eclipsing $500B for the first time since the 2018 boom
• PayPal has overtaken Square as the poster child for cryptocurrency and is bringing forth retail demand
• Huge institutional interest has emerged — something that wasn’t seen in 2018
• Legitimate real-world use cases from large players have…

It’s holiday season, which means — for me — binge eating my aunt’s homemade food and spending a lot time lying down, digesting.

And what better way to spend time lying down than watching some TV?

So I’ve spent a ton of time watching TV this holiday season, and after many many hours of content consumption, I can safely say that I absolutely hate using the HBO Max app.

Before I completely rail on this app, let me explain my situation.

I am what I would self-describe as a “speed watcher”, meaning I binge watch TV shows and I try…

Disclosure: I work at Ripple, a member of the Open Payments Coalition and contributor to the open source PayID technology

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how payments needed an email address to allow for interoperability between networks and readability for senders and receivers.

I laid out how I think PayID is the solution to solve those problems and, finally, bring money to the Internet.

Afterwards, I got amazing feedback from my friends, family, and other readers about the post — it was a great opportunity to engage in detailed discussion about the future of money and innovations in payments.

…

Two days ago, PayPal publicly announced its crypto offering — after months of hinting the inclusion of crypto in its core product suite and subsidiaries like Venmo.

Well the news is out. In the coming weeks, all of PayPal’s U.S.-based users will be able to buy, sell, and HODL four coins (Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash) on PayPal’s platform.

Over the course of H1 2021, PayPal eyes on expanding its crypto offering: to new geographies overseas, to include new features like payments to its 26+ million merchants, and to its 50+ million users on Venmo.

And after that? Support…