Hi! Rishi here — you’re receiving this because you’re a supporting force in my life; someone I’d like to stay in orbit with. Below I’m sharing a bit about what life’s like these days: how I’m feeling, the things I’m thinking about, the sorts of conversations I’d like to have, and the sorts of people I’d like to meet. Let’s see where this goes!
No expectation at all on you to respond. If anything here resonates or piques your curiosity, though, I’m SO game to talk more on a walk, a call, or asynchronously. Writing and sharing this is only 5% of the fun; I hope much more joy comes in the follow up conversations I’ll have with some of you.
If we haven’t chatted in a while, I’d love to hear from you, even if just to say hi. You can text or [email](mailto:r@tripathy.co?subject=saying%20hi%20from%20orbit).
If you’d prefer not to receive updates from me, no worries, and no hard feelings. I know we’re all busy. Just let me [know](mailto:r@tripathy.co?subject=please%20unsubscribe%20me%20from%20your%20updates).
Alright, that’s it for housekeeping — let’s get into it.
What page of life am I on?
Nearly everything is changing as I transition into the next chapter of my life! It’s a very hectic time, but one filled with richness and texture.
- New city: I’m moving to New York in September - hmu if you’re around! I’ll be in Greenpoint living with my lovely girlfriend Kassen. Lots of reasons to be excited and nervous about this: I get into some of them below.
- New job: I’m joining runway.com. I think the team are brilliant, the problems are interesting, and the company’s being run in a way that’s highly aligned with the role I want work to play in my life. I recommend reading about their values — they articulate real tradeoffs.
To go a step deeper, here’s the recipe for my current cocktail of feelings…
2 parts grateful: For my wild and wonderful journeys with On Deck and in San Francisco.
- At On Deck:
- For the dear friends I made along the way, the bets people took on me, and the opportunity to “grow up” alongside the company.
- For this roller coaster having squeezed what felt like 6-8 years of life and work, into three.
- Of course, I have complicated feelings about leaving On Deck, but I look back at this past chapter fondly. Thank you to David and Erik for building something that’s truly brought thousands of people together, during a time it was so sorely needed.
- In SF, living with two of my closest friends from college while in SF has also been an absolute privilege.
- It’s been 7+ years now with these two at my side, which is very special. They’ve supported me in (1) going from my first time putting skis on → confidently navigating the whole mountain, and (2) always finding and devouring the most delicious food in the most egregious portions, no matter the consequences in the bathroom later, among many other adventures. You’d be lucky to have friends like Justin and Rob.
4 parts on edge: At all the change, and towards what life in New York will lead to.
- This is the first time I’m changing jobs! The team is tack-sharp, but the role is in a new function (GTM / Solutions), and I haven’t operated at full throttle for a few months, which makes me slightly nervous about what it’ll feel like to turn it back up to 11.
- A new job also means I won’t have all the earned context + ethos of being a super early employee, like I was at On Deck.
- I’m also anxious about the impact moving to New York will have on me.
- I’ve really enjoyed my time in San Francisco — the unstructured nature of the city has given me the space to grow into my own skin.
- 🔥 I worry about being caught up in the bustle / FOMO of it all in NYC (a good read here), and want to preserve my agency and earnestness. I fear this might be harder in an environment with more tangible “social norms” rooted in social comparison.
3 parts optimistic and hungry: Energized to live deeply.
- I’m excited to re-take the reins of my life, and am hoping that a change of scenery makes it easy to knock off some rust that’s built up lately.
- There are also so many wonderful people in New York that I’m excited to see and reconnect with, and the opportunity to be closer to family at a formative time (my nieces are 4 and 2) makes me feel warm inside. Closing the long-distance-relationship chapter of my life also feels really good.
- Wistfully, I have a feeling inside that there’s more I’m excited about with my next chapter than I can reasonably sustain or make consistent, and I’m not sure what will fall through the cracks. Nonetheless, I’m prepared to bite off more than I can chew.
What am I thinking about?
Sharing in case anything I’ve been mulling on strikes a chord.
- Why are startups so intoxicating? I feel like I’m somewhat addicted and know the answer generally, but I long for some more clarity / specificity on my own desires here.
- If we were to host a consistent series of dinner parties in NYC, would people participate in a somewhat committed way (1x/mo)? Why/why not?
- How can my work feel like play, and my career feel like a playground?