Hello friends, Last week, my friend John working in finance told me about his incompetent colleague G. This guy doesn’t have the finance skills, and says no to a lot of work. But while John pulls all-nighters creating presentations, G is the one presenting them to stakeholders and winning them over. Wide shoulders, good looks, perfectly timed jokes. G is the type of person who walks into a room and somehow you just trust him more. Many people in his organization hate him. But a few key...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Hi friends, Last night, I was invited to a small dinner party with AI leaders in New York. I found myself walking into a room with Yann LeCun (yes, the Yann LeCun) and other leaders shaping our industry. We had great conversations on AI, our hobbies, things we are obsessed with, and let me share what I learned: 1. On AI Leadership: The future needs fractional Chief AI/Data Officers. From a CEO who helps companies hire Chief AI Officers, he told me something interesting: the best candidates...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Let's talk about a question many mentees asked me - let me start with my own story. When I first joined Amazon’s machine learning team, I faced a challenge many of us know well: imposter syndrome. Our team organized a knowledge-sharing session where everyone could present on topics they were passionate about. As proposals for advanced ML topics flooded in, I glanced at my own past machine learning models and felt a familiar sinking feeling. My work suddenly seemed basic,...
4 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, If you struggle to get stakeholder buy-in, the “effective stakeholder communication” framework I teach has been a game-changer for many students, and it might help you, too. Unlike traditional online courses that involve passive learning, Data Science & ML Career Accelerator has both self-paced lessons and interactive coaching sessions. I give students specific workbooks and guidelines to help them practice high-impact conversations with stakeholders. Check it out:...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Greetings from Shanghai! I just reconnected with 3 friends after 11+ years. The only in common is we all studied math in college, and let's take a look at their lives now. 1. The Introverted "Tech Celebrity" Wei was in my math program during undergrad. His first job was a software engineer, then he joined a database startup where he became a developer advocate/tech evangelist – giving talks and supporting open-source communities. Despite being deeply introverted, his passion for...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Access the replay here after you sign up. So, we covered the fundamentals of personal branding. What’s next? I’m excited to share something with you. I’m launching a Personal Branding Accelerator this month. Our goal is simple: Create a trustworthy personal brand that opens doors to career-defining opportunities in just four weeks. Here’s your early invite: Launching: Personal Branding Accelerator (April 22 - May 22) This April, I’m helping 10 professionals build personal brands...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Hi friends, I dread opening LinkedIn these days because my feed is flooded with “BREAKING: AI NEWS”. That familiar feeling started creeping in—am I falling behind? Probably. And I'm fine with it. My current attitude toward AI news is "I'll see you when I see you". When everything is breaking news, it’s a sign to stop following the news. Today, I'd like to share the 3 things I learned about navigating the AI era (without losing my mind): 𝟭. Focus on use cases, not updates Most AI updates are...
6 months ago • 3 min read
Hi friends, Can you believe February is almost over? Anyways, recently I got an email from an OpenAI as below. I was surprised, because I haven't been working as a data scientist for over a year now, the only reason they think I'm a good fit is because they saw my Linkedin profile with 7+ years of experience, detailed technical blogs of what I have done, and those in-depth industry insights I shared. Why am I sharing this? Because being the "quiet" expert isn't enough anymore. The best...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Hi friends, Happy New Year! After living in Hongkong for a month, I'm writing from Beijing. Let me share the 11 things I did for the first time. This list includes 5 transformations that completely reshaped my 2024—from crying in coaching sessions to deadlifting 60kg. 1. Finding my own coach When I first heard 'life coaching,' I rolled my eyes. But navigating post-FAANG life solo wasn't easy. After reading 'Bending Reality' by Victoria Song, something clicked. It was eye-opening how she...
7 months ago • 3 min read