# Ethos <div class="pills-container"> <span class="pill">Last Updated: April 3, 2026</span> </div> > [!INFO] > This page is most useful for my current and future collaborators. ## The 7 things to know about me If you're not going to read the rest of this page, then at least read these 7 things. 1. **I work best with close guidance at the start, then with autonomy afterward.** Early immersion matters to me so I can calibrate my goals and align with the bigger vision. Once the direction is clear to me, I operate well in high-trust collaborative environments, even asynchronously. 2. **[I think directionally.](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/uwmFSaDMprsFkpWet/explore-more-a-bag-of-tricks-to-keep-your-life-on-the-rails)** I need to understand the "why" before the "how." I tend to stress-test assumptions and explore [counterfactuals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterfactual_thinking) before settling on an intervention. I like to play [Devil's advocate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_advocate) to ensure that something is worth pursuing in the first place.[^1] 3. **I like being surrounded by sharp and mission-driven people.** I work best in environments where people care deeply about their work and their epistemic. 4. **I appreciate direct and no-fluff conversations.** I take honest feedback, especially when well-reasoned, as a sign of care. Do not take care of my feelings for me, that's my job. 5. **I think best in conversation.** If we're blocked, we should hop on a call and map it out live. If we're working asynchronously, let's think through the problem in a Google Doc. 6. **I stagnate in low-trust environments.** If I feel like I have to posture and second-guess people's real incentives, it drains me. I work best with people who are direct and do not weaponize ambiguity. 7. **I think sacrificing integrity for optics is a form of failure.** I care about making differential progress in the work I do. I believe that [once a metric becomes the goal, it ceases to be a good metric](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law). ## How I work best - I'm currently based in Metro Manila (UTC+8). - I prefer async for updates and sync for thinking, but I tend to adjust depending on what works for my collaborator. - I write and plan in Google Docs. - I like seeing the full context, not just tasks. - I build to stress-test systems in the real world. I care about fast iterations, real users, and whether tools hold up under live constraints. ## My values I'm often skeptical of anything that aims to generalize a complex system. The conventional wisdom is often wrong. There will never be enough surveys in the world to understand every aspect of human life. There will never be a map that can describe the reality of the world. These generalizations are often reductions of what they represent. They are only correct to a certain extent. ## My anti-values There are patterns I generally avoid because they hinder my growth. I listed them here because these are my non-negotiables. - I feel stagnant in teams that **never** give honest feedback, or takes *too long* to give feedback at all. - I don't fit well in environments where "alignment" means agreement, not depth. These are environments where echo chambers or groupthink is the norm. - I'm wary of "impact-washing" or people who claim to work on impactful problems but are really optimizing for personal leverage. ## Mistakes I've made I believe in learning in public. That's why I keep a changelog of the mistakes I've made in the past, so I can improve in the future. - I often take on more than I can chew. But this sometimes leads to late nights or quiet burnout. The people I wanted to help in the first place end up under-supported anyway. I've since learned that saying yes to everything eventually means that I'm not showing up well for anything. - I move quickly when I'm clear on my direction and that makes me effective. But there were times I sprinted ahead thinking that everyone in my team was on the same page. I later realized that others did not share my mental models or priorities, and they ended up feeling confused and upset. I've since learned that clarity takes more time than I think, especially when I'm working with a group. - I gravitate towards complex problems and deep thinking. But there have been times where I spent too long polishing ideas that were fascinating but not directionally useful. I've since learned that insight without traction is still one form of drift. - In the past, I've stuck around in projects where there wasn't real alignment and just hoped that clarity would emerge in time. But I realized that early misalignment is rarely temporary. [^1]: I also learned this can get quite annoying; though I'd rather you tell me directly if this approach doesn't work for you.