Hi, I'm Anil Dash

I’m a tech entrepreneur and writer trying to make the technology world more thoughtful, creative and humane. You can read more about me here. This is a blog about how culture is made, continuously updated since 1999 for free, with no ads or trackers.

While you're here, check out my writing about tech, systems, Prince, nyc, or the Best Of the first 25 years of this blog.

My most recent writing

It's Time for Something New

After nine years, most recently at Fastly and before that at Glitch (and Fog Creek), I am very soon (finally!) going to be taking some time off from working to...

Sly Stone and the Scariest Show Ever

I don't think I've ever felt more tension in the room during a live performance than when I was standing five feet in front of Sly Stone, in a room that felt l...

Who washes their hands?

Every few months, we see someone in culture who unabashedly talks about not washing well, whether it's a celebrity discussing their griminess, or a random pers...

The Internet of Consent

Click “I agree” to continue. You didn’t click it, though. Or maybe you did? I don’t know, it doesn’t matter. The concept of consent doesn’t exist on the mo...

The Crafters of “Andor”

It's hard for me to articulate just how much I love "Andor", the best Star Wars entertainment of at least this century, and maybe ever. Tony Gilroy's...

MCP is the coming of Web 2.0 2.0

Over the last few months, all the nerds have gotten excited about Model Context Protocol , or MCP. It's a spec that was designed by Anthropic (the Claude folk...

What Would “Good” AI Look Like?

We're a few years into the tech industry's AI hype cycle, and it's all been characterized by far more heat than light. The assertions by the people making the...

"AI-first" is the new Return To Office

The latest fad amongst tech CEOs is no longer "founder mode", or taking drugs that they would fire you for taking, or telling everybody to return to...

It's time for Dolly to record that long-lost Prince song.

By many measures, 1986 was the greatest year of Prince’s extraordinary career. One of the most remarkable metrics was that he recorded over 250 songs that ye...

A Bug Report is a Gift

Towards the end of last year, I got the delightful opportunity to talk to Scott Carey for the Priority Zero podcast from LeadDev. LeadDev is such a wonderful...

Understanding DOGE as Procurement Capture

For the last few months, there's been a lot of conversation around the "Department" of Government Efficiency, which is ostensibly an effort at improv...

Lessons learned from burning things.

One thing I like to do is make fires. It’s often considered a less socially-acceptable pastime than my other wood-destruction hobbies like writing and woodwork...

My most recent writing

A little less recent

Don't call it a Substack.

It feels like 2004 again.

How I got pitched by Anna Delvey

23: What was 9/11?

How Oprah will screw up the AI story

Systems: How the Ultra-Wealthy Think About Money

Systems: Q&A about boards of directors

Systems: What does a board of directors do?

The New Alt Media and the Future of Publishing

Systems: The Purpose of a System is What It Does

Systems: What warms the heart?

Prince, Letterman and Insufferability

Make better documents.

“Wherever you get your podcasts” is a radical statement.

Personal blogs are where tech news happens.

The Web Renaissance takes off

It's unrecognizable

I am the answer to the Single Puzzle.

That goddamn mug

"VC qanon" and the radicalization of the tech tycoons

Today's AI is unreasonable.

What was selling out?

Never Do Without You: Adding the seasoning

The tech tycoon martyrdom charade

How you could build a search that the fediverse would welcome

Cook These Two Things

There is nothing to remember.

I went to a coffee shop.

Ending Healthcare

I am the answer to the Rites of Spring Puzzle