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← Total freedom does not make you happy; constraints do.
17 connected korrents · 16 moments on record from 12 Feb 2010 to 24 Aug 2026.
Everything filed under design
design
Everything filed under taste
taste
Everything filed under ambition
ambition
Everything filed under government
government
Everything filed under simplicity
simplicity Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Total freedom does not make you happy; constraints do. Total freedom does not make you happy; constraints do. Last stated 2 years ago
20 Aug 2024
PL
Pieter Levels — holds since 2024-08-20 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them. — tap to centre the map on it Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them. Last stated 2 weeks ago
24 Aug 2026
MH
Masud Husain — holds since 2026-08-24 — tap for who they are
Same subject: You can be creative within any set of constraints, so long as you understand what they are and get excited about them rather than resent them. — tap to centre the map on it You can be creative within any set of constraints, so long as you understand what they are and get excited about them rather than resent them. Last stated 4 weeks ago
14 Aug 2026
SK
Susan Kare — holds since 2026-08-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: People are unhappy in their careers when the thing they want and the work it takes to get it are out of sync, not because they climbed the wrong ladder. — tap to centre the map on it People are unhappy in their careers when the thing they want and the work it takes to get it are out of sync, not because they climbed the wrong ladder. Last stated 12 months ago
21 Sept 2025
JZ
Julie Zhuo — holds since 2025-09-21 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Working on how good the long-run future is does not require accepting consequentialism or believing that you should always maximise the good. — tap to centre the map on it Working on how good the long-run future is does not require accepting consequentialism or believing that you should always maximise the good. Last stated a year ago
3 Aug 2025
WM
William MacAskill — holds since 2025-08-03 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The satisfaction of getting one function exactly right no longer makes a difference, and an engineer has to let go of it and enjoy understanding the domain instead. — tap to centre the map on it The satisfaction of getting one function exactly right no longer makes a difference, and an engineer has to let go of it and enjoy understanding the domain instead. Last stated 5 months ago
7 Apr 2026
KB
Kent Beck — holds since 2026-04-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: He would rather lose everything than yield to government pressure to block channels, because submitting to something fundamentally wrong breaks a person inside. — tap to centre the map on it He would rather lose everything than yield to government pressure to block channels, because submitting to something fundamentally wrong breaks a person inside. Last stated 11 months ago
30 Sept 2025
PD
Pavel Durov — holds since 2025-09-30 — tap for who they are
Same subject: It is better to be an optimist who works hard than a pessimist who writes about why things will not work, because no amount of such essays moves society forward. — tap to centre the map on it It is better to be an optimist who works hard than a pessimist who writes about why things will not work, because no amount of such essays moves society forward. Last stated a month ago
4 Aug 2026
SA
Sam Altman — holds since 2026-08-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A model may have a worldview of its own, but it can never be placed above a person under any circumstance. — tap to centre the map on it A model may have a worldview of its own, but it can never be placed above a person under any circumstance. Last stated 3 months ago
3 Jun 2026
KH
Kelsey Hightower — holds since 2026-06-03 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do. — tap to centre the map on it A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do. Last stated a year ago
12 May 2025
JZ
Julie Zhuo — holds since 2025-05-12 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem. — tap to centre the map on it A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem. Last stated a year ago
23 Mar 2025
RV
Rahul Vohra — holds since 2025-03-23 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly. — tap to centre the map on it A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly. Last stated 4 weeks ago
14 Aug 2026
SK
Susan Kare — holds since 2026-08-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive. — tap to centre the map on it After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive. Last stated 11 months ago
16 Oct 2025
DF
Dylan Field — holds since 2025-10-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much. — tap to centre the map on it AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much. Last stated a month ago
26 Jul 2026
DH
David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2026-07-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible. — tap to centre the map on it Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible. Last stated 3 years ago
16 Nov 2023
JZ
Julie Zhuo — holds since 2023-11-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. — tap to centre the map on it A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on. Last stated a month ago
6 Aug 2026
GS
George Saunders — holds since 2026-08-06 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill. — tap to centre the map on it A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill. Last stated 11 months ago
16 Oct 2025
DF
Dylan Field — holds since 2025-10-16 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail. — tap to centre the map on it A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail. Last stated 17 years ago
12 Feb 2010
KS
Karri Saarinen — holds since 2010-02-12 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Total freedom does not make you happy; constraints do.
Holds Read this korrent →
Being told to be realistic about your ambitions is how ambitions fail; the boundaries people accept about what they can do are the ones that stop them.
Holds MH Masud Husain
You can be creative within any set of constraints, so long as you understand what they are and get excited about them rather than resent them.
Holds SK Susan Kare
People are unhappy in their careers when the thing they want and the work it takes to get it are out of sync, not because they climbed the wrong ladder.
Holds JZ Julie Zhuo
Working on how good the long-run future is does not require accepting consequentialism or believing that you should always maximise the good.
Holds WM William MacAskill
The satisfaction of getting one function exactly right no longer makes a difference, and an engineer has to let go of it and enjoy understanding the domain instead.
Holds KB Kent Beck
He would rather lose everything than yield to government pressure to block channels, because submitting to something fundamentally wrong breaks a person inside.
Holds
It is better to be an optimist who works hard than a pessimist who writes about why things will not work, because no amount of such essays moves society forward.
Holds
A model may have a worldview of its own, but it can never be placed above a person under any circumstance.
Holds KH Kelsey Hightower
A blank chat box is lazy: it violates the first rule of a good user experience, that it is obvious what you can do.
Holds JZ Julie Zhuo
A company deserves everyone in it, the chief executive included, to spend as much time as possible in their zone of genius — which is an org design problem.
Holds RV Rahul Vohra
A computer meant for anyone has to be understandable without a manual, and it has to be friendly.
Holds SK Susan Kare
After a decade of Swiss minimalism, design is about to swing back to something far more expressive.
Holds DF Dylan Field
AI acceleration threatens 'less software': without the constraint of scarce hours, even 37signals will likely build too much.
Holds
Better design does not mean more design: the most obvious designs are often invisible.
Holds JZ Julie Zhuo
A first draft should not be graded good or bad; it is only the material that taste then gets to act on.
Holds GS George Saunders
A lot of people can match a framework for taste; almost nobody can create one, and creating one is the rare skill.
Holds DF Dylan Field
A product needs a soul, and for that it needs one person of great taste who is its living, breathing aspect and gets furious about every small detail.
Holds KS Karri Saarinen