2026-05-31 -  I've spent years writing about technology without identifying the thread connecting it all. Then I realised: I'm obsessed with people who care about the things they do – and frustrated by those who don't.

2026-05-10 -  Brian Armstrong is bracing against market volatility with a flatter org chart, hands-on managers, and fleets of AI agents. But Coinbase's pivot comes with its own contradictions – and exposes it to new risks.

2026-05-03 -  From my travels on the small web to Steven Pressfield's theory of creative Resistance, this month's Field Notes is about people who create things because they care – not to chase clout, acclaim, or riches.

2026-03-15 -  Between a trip to Malta and a novel about memory-eating monsters, I thought a lot this month about what we actually need. The answer, it turns out, fits in a hotel room with a book and an espresso.

2026-02-22 -  The key to good business writing is empathy – not emotional, but practical. Put yourself in the recipient's shoes to make action effortless and eliminate painful back-and-forths, making for more efficient business.

2026-02-01 -  Tools like Claude Cowork risk condemning knowledge workers to endless reviews of AI-generated work. We must use AI to augment human thinking – not replace it – and preserve the value and craft of the process.

2025-09-21 -  We all waste far too much time online. There’s overt time wasting, like the mindless auto-queued videos on TikTok, and less obvious time wasting, like time spent browsing Hacker News and reading semi-technical blog posts. “But Matt,” you might say...

2025-09-13 -  “You can just do things” has become common advice online. It’s a modern iteration on the ethos that fortune favours the brave - a proclamation that you’re only one bold move away from the life you’ve always dreamt of. Yeah right, was my initial re...

2025-05-31 -  It often feels like modern business is stuck in a loop. An idea is successful, there is a push to scale it as far and quickly as possible, and it’s optimised to within an inch of its life - but normally only in the name of profit. Usually this res...

2025-05-02 -  We’ve all been there. One day you’re in control, the next you’re racing from meeting to meeting, unable to focus long enough to move anything forward in any meaningful way - unless, that is, you start protecting your time. When everything feels ur...