Thanks for bringing this up to my attention @david__booth . @matthewclifford good on you. This is what I think about all the time ... but for NZ.

💯 The difference between 4% growth and 2% growth is doubling the economy every 18 years vs every 36 years. For the material welfare and living standards of the citizenry, literally nothing matters more than that.

Wonderful to see @canva keep winning. Proud to have been part of the early journey. Congrats to everyone who’s contributed to the success so far. 👏 to OG Aussie startup pioneers @liubinskas and @philmorle, for the groundwork for Aus startupland. https://t.co/TbH2CL7dRB

This. And so much more.

Imagine when you can build simple tools and automation through natural language. Things start to move way faster…

The AI revolution is probably going to take a decade to cement. New Zealand has a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of this on many levels. Education for one - our high schoolers and Uni students should have the opportunity to be the most AI savvy in the world. Let’s do it.

Great companies design incentives first, job roles second. Full deep dive here:

Hiring the right people isn't just about skill. It's about aligning incentives: ✅ What motivates them? ✅ Do they want autonomy, mastery, or financial upside? ✅ Do they thrive in ambiguity or structure? ✅ Can they learn fast?

🏢 Mature Companies: Short-term incentives (bonuses, salary, stability) Predictable, structured work Less risk, less learning Where do you thrive? 🤔

Startups vs. Mature Companies → How Incentives Change 🚀 Startups: Incentives are long-term, tied to company success High risk, but high reward Roles evolve FAST—learning velocity is key

I’ve worked across sales, strategy, startups, venture, and politics. The biggest pattern? No job was that hard to learn. What mattered most: I had the right incentives. Most companies obsess over skillsets—yet the best operators I know switched careers multiple times.

💡 The most underrated hiring strategy? Incentive alignment over skillset. Most hiring managers get it wrong. They hire for "experience" when they should be optimising for aligned incentives. Let’s break this down 🧵👇

A fantastic podcast by @dwarkesh_sp with @satyanadella CEO of @Microsoft . Many times in the chat they paint the future. “People will think with AI and collaborate with their team”. “Jobs will be lost but … many more opportunities will be created”. Watch.

A fantastic breakdown of the level of investment that is occurring into AI infrastructure. This is to deliver more and more utility. It’s unreal. @dylan522p @lexfridman great stuff. https://t.co/I8QunOAUxo

Here is the deep dive breaking this down, with real examples and insights. Read here → https://t.co/GhnhMjWKE2 Subscribe! Will be posting about Kiwi growth, economy, tech and startups!🚀

🔑 Most important lesson: Entrepreneurship is not one-size-fits-all. Founders burn out when they mismatch ambition, investors, and execution. Choose your swimlane intentionally. Align your vision, team, and capital accordingly.

🔹 Swimlane 3: Transform an Industry → Build a $2B+ company → Solve a global problem, redefine an industry → 7-15 years, US IPO → High-risk, high-return investors Example: Mining Optimization Startup

🔹 Swimlane 2: Make Regional-Level Change → Build a $100M–$1B business → "Best in class" in a national market → 5-10 years, ASX/NZX exit → Mid-risk investors Example: Hospitality Procurement Platform

🔹 Swimlane 1: Master of My Own Time → Build a $10M–$100M business → Optimize for financial freedom & control → 3-7 years of hard work, then acquisition/NZX exit → Lower-risk investors Example: Equestrian E-commerce Venture

In 2021, deep-dive convos in a Parnell flat led to a thriving NZ founder community. Fast forward to today: many have raised $10M+ and are hiring. A key reason? They were clear on their WHY. Here's a framework that helped them.