HNY everyone!

2024 and Lens to me is about finding the unfamiliar again and truly building generational tech and products. Copying what’s come before is the safer and easier choice but doesn’t create the same groundbreaking impact.

I reflect a lot on TikTok, when I joined I knew ByteDance had built something innovative in Asia, but it’s future in the west in wasn’t so clear. My friends thought I was crazy leaving my current situation and didn’t understand what it could become. To everyone now it’s obvious, but back then it wasn’t and disregarded by many before it’s hockey stick growth and inflection point.

Being able to now say I was part of a generational global product now is something I’m very proud of. I’ll never forget being allocated the same desk in NYC WeWork with 12 desks as Zhang Yiming on my first day who was in town and graciously told me to keep it. Or early days having the opportunity to be in meetings with Alex Zhu whose philosophy about social apps as countries and co creation as a social fabric still resonates today and blue print for social builders. Even I didn’t realize it at the time how lucky I was, but I hold these moments today.

It’s why in jumped into web3 finally after many years of being on the surface personally. I had conviction after my bet on ByteDance played out and excited to embark on another.

Next goal is being able to say I was part of infrastructure backbone making possible the next wave of innovative consumer products.

While the power of @lensprotocol may be invisible to most, if there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that game changing tech more than often comes from what not everyone sees.

It’s never what’s familiar and expected to all. That’s why it’s disruptive.

2024 let’s rock.