Peter Thiel Jul 10, 2026
How to Build a Creative Monopoly
Avoiding undifferentiated competition, finding durable startup advantages, and thinking from first principles about markets that can compound.
startups strategy
Vicky Wenqing Li
Entrepreneur Software Engineer
Hi, I'm Vicky. Over the past decade, I’ve worked across sales and engineering — starting in marketing and sales roles at adtech companies in China and Europe, then moving into software engineering in the U.S., where I contributed to engineering projects at client companies including Tesla, Workday, and Verisk. Today, I like start building with simple primitives: files, CLIs, and small scripts that help a business move quickly, while keeping a clear path toward proven systems like PostgreSQL or MongoDB when scale demands them. I’m drawn to work where knowledge, relationships, and systems compound over time. That’s why I prefer working in and around manufacturing, supply chains, and logistics: the underlying needs are durable, and each problem solved builds capabilities that carry forward. On the side, I’m building Aside for deep collaboration between humans and AI agents.
Principles
- 01
Put customers first
Think from the customer’s perspective, own the work end-to-end, and deliver excellent work with care, quality, and accountability so customers get a hands-off experience and can focus on their business and life.
- 02
Know the ground
Work from facts that can be checked: revenue, tests, retention, reconciled counts, and direct customer failures. Keep independent checks outside the system being optimized, and let people, not tools, decide what “better” means.
- 03
Build with open standards & interoperability
Prefer interfaces, data formats, and workflows that connect cleanly with other tools. Durable systems should reduce fragmentation, not create more silos.
- 04
Design for flow Operations Insider defines Lean flow as the smooth, uninterrupted progression of work through the value stream, improved by removing bottlenecks and waste.
Create simple, thoughtfully designed experiences that reduce friction and distractions. Help people do meaningful work with clarity and joy.
- 05
Grow through intentional partnerships “国内回本周期大概18个月左右，海外要5到10年。” Cainiao VP Bi Jianghua said Cainiao Logistics Technology still pushes ZeeBot more aggressively overseas because customers there evaluate TCO and pay for stability, service, and full solutions; by April 2026 it had nearly 1,100 projects across 29 countries and regions.
Partner not just for reach, but for shared execution, better standards, and stronger long-term delivery.
Writing
Building
🪼⋆｡𖦹°🫧⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
Building a platform.
Collections
Tom DeMarco Jul 9, 2026
Slack
Brian's Notes summary of Tom DeMarco's case for healthy slack time: fewer burnout loops, less busywork, more room for reinvention, and better customer response.
management systems
Chad Jones May 21, 2026
A.I. and Our Economic Future
Even if AI can write all the software, GDP may still stay near its historical 2% growth path when the binding constraints shift to real-world bottlenecks software cannot scale.
ai economics
Russell McGuire Mar 24, 2026
The Algorithm
Jon McNeill's five-step operating framework from Tesla: question every requirement, delete unnecessary work, simplify and optimize, accelerate cycle time, and automate last.
startups systems