*Dialectic Episode 1: Jason Liu - The Freedom in Being Nobody - is available on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Z2P5ZcuDSBbSaWfNFQjvE?si=828fa7f3d18a49df) and [YouTube](https://youtu.be/99ZVWKRH2Lk?si=lBH2WJtCy6XPi_gM).* <iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3Z2P5ZcuDSBbSaWfNFQjvE?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="152" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe> <iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *; clipboard-write" frameborder="0" height="175" style="width:100%;max-width:660px;overflow:hidden;border-radius:10px;" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-jason-liu-the-freedom-in-being-nobody/id1780282402?i=1000677291498"></iframe> # Description Jason Liu ([Website](https://jxnl.co/), [X](https://x.com/jxnlco), [Github](https://github.com/jxnl), [Newsletter](https://subscribe.jxnl.co/)) is a technologist, consultant, teacher, and friend. He spent the first part of his career as a machine learning engineer, mostly at Stitchfix, only to run into a wall: a hand injury that prevented him from being able to write any software for over a year. Fortunately, he's not so one-dimensional, and spent time reclaiming somatic experience in learning to free-dive, train Jiu-Jitsu, and return to the pottery practice he developed in art school, all while reckoning with big questions of ambition, purpose, and self-fulfillment. Since then, he's built a consulting practice helping modern AI companies better implement RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), avoid system design mistakes, hire elite talent, and build for an LLM-centric world. He maintains a large structured output library called [Instructor](https://useinstructor.com/) with about 1m downloads per month, [writes prolifically](https://jxnl.co/writing/) (which he does entirely via voice input with LLM editing, as we discuss), tweets semi-manically (he's grown to 30K followers on X with the simplest strategy I've ever heard anyone articulate—tweeting 30K times), and teaches courses on [RAG](https://maven.com/applied-llms/rag-playbook) and [online consulting](https://maven.com/indie-consulting/ai-consultant-accelerator). Finally, my man can *yap.* He was a perfect first guest because he has no shortage of ideas but comes at nearly everything with a beginner's mindset. # Timestamps - (0:00): Intro to Dialectic - (2:55): Brick laying vs. capital allocating - (6:04): Acid Story: Trying so hard to be a somebody - (9:20): Planning, judgement, elasticity, and abundance - (11:28): Ambition and Trusting your future self - (14:20): Fear; Confidence is the memory of success - (18:46): Compounding psychology of risk taking - (21:30): Do you get what you deserve? - (22:32): Playing life on hard mode - (27:22): Agency, Taking Accountability, and becoming essential - (35:58): Consulting and Independent Contracting - (39:52): Ambition and “Manhattan Project” Appeal - (42:30): What are you motivated by? - (44:36): Challenge runs and side quests - (46:39): How to be prolific - (53:46): Mastery, complex games, and creative fingerprints - (57:47): Programming, animation, and style vs. cohesion - (1:07:56): Jason only writes with his voice--with some LLM help - (1:12:47): Flooding the airwaves with content - (1:14:10): Twitter growth: simple math - (1:19:49): Using the “sawdust” - (1:23:30): ELI5 RAG (Retrieval augmented generation) - (1:27:39): A final rant against couches # Links - [Losing My Hands](https://jxnl.co/writing/2024/04/29/losing-my-hands/) by Jason - [Advice to Young People, The Lies I Tell Myself](https://jxnl.co/writing/2024/06/01/advice-to-young-people/) by Jason - [A Critique on Couches](https://github.com/jxnl/blog/blob/e9476e15822d10d4b8c49bc74d2ea01dc300d704/docs/writing/posts/couchs.md) by Jason - [Things you're allowed to do](https://milan.cvitkovic.net/writing/things_youre_allowed_to_do/) by Milan Cvitkovic - [Duolingo founder Luis Von Ahn on engagement vs. education](https://x.com/blakeir/status/1854562355046166552)