Writing

Ideas worth the time to read.

Essays and analysis at the intersection of strategy, institutions, technology, and practice. Some pieces are academic in orientation; others are applied. All of them are worth finishing.

Admissions

What 250 interviews taught me about judging potential

Most interviewers — and most candidates — think the game is about credentials. After 250 evaluations as an Admissions Ambassador at Rice MBA, I can tell you it isn't. The real signal is something quieter, and you can learn to project it.

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"Potential is not the same thing as polish."
Fintech & AI

The trust and accountability layer in fintech AI

AI interfaces for financial decisions are being designed as if the only problem to solve is usability. It isn't. There's a prior design problem — trust and accountability — and most products are skipping it entirely.

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Strategy

When the rules of the game move

Institutional theory tells us firms operate within rule systems. But what happens when those rule systems are in flux? A strategy lens on sensing, interpreting, and responding to institutional change — from political campaigns to commodity markets.

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Economics

What pricing taught me about market theory

Four years building and running pricing frameworks in a specialty chemicals firm gave me a very different intuition about how markets actually clear — and where the textbook models break down in practice.

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Strategy

The PhD decision: a strategy framework for a life choice

How I thought about the decision to pursue a funded PhD after years in industry and consulting — using the same analytical tools I'd apply to any high-stakes, irreversible strategic choice.

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Admissions

Why most SOP advice is wrong

The standard advice — tell a story, show passion, be specific — is not wrong exactly. It's just insufficient. What admissions committees are actually calibrating for is something most applicants never address.

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