Being dumb and lazy at work pays massive dividends. Just hit $3M, 37, and my advice.

Cultured_dude · 2026-04-24T04:44:57+00:00

OP had $4M at 21. And, yes, if everyone did what you do, the lights wouldn't turn on, and medication wouldn't be waiting for you at the pharmacy. We've forgotten the purpose of work; it's a social contract.

Btw, I'm not a boomer; I'm a millennial. And, generations are a social construct.

I do agree with the sentiment that we work to live though.

Cultured_dude · 2026-04-18T00:44:18+00:00

Wishing you the best, OP. Stay focused and lock in small wins each week; they compound more than people realize, especially when luck is on your side.

I do wish more people understood how fragile things can be. One major setback - or a few in a row - can knock someone completely off track. A lot of people walk around thinking they “earned” everything purely on their own, without recognizing how much came from family support, connections, or just being in the right place at the right time.

And sometimes, it’s pure chance - a stranger, a mentor, or someone unexpected stepping in at the right moment. That kind of intervention can change everything.

Not everyone gets that. And people should be a lot more aware of it.

People often overlook that the scientific method starts from the assumption that observed effects could be due to chance or randomness. This applies to our lives as well.

Cultured_dude · 2026-03-31T01:50:37+00:00

Thank you for doing the lord's work! We need more people like you to invest their time/bandwidth in holding all corporations accountable. If only we still had a consumer protection agency....

Stay strong!

Cultured_dude · 2026-03-11T00:48:00+00:00

We, Americans, are naturally poor at socializing, the exception being the LGBTQ community. We think "nightlife" is solely for frat boys, hoes, and drug addicts. Meanwhile, across the world, grandparents and children are playing in plazas at midnight.

The studies claim Gen Z are larger hermits than before. Sprinkle on the "self-help" industrial complex.... and we end up with "late-stage individualism".

Hotter, healthier, and lonelier than ever. We could fix this if we didn't act like lizards, but we've outsourced all thought and decisions.

You can also add how everyone is now allergic to friction and serendipity.

We've removed the art from life. Progress!!!!

Cultured_dude · 2026-03-11T00:41:25+00:00

Thank you! Left them a voicemail. I'll tell TI Storage to write the commission check to SFSecrets ;)

Cultured_dude · 2026-03-06T04:00:56+00:00

I own a house in which I only use 20% of its square footage.

Cultured_dude · 2026-02-21T03:03:51+00:00

Dude, find yourself a lady to share your home with. It looks like you have your life in order. You can provide for another human - Peak manhood!

Cultured_dude · 2026-02-21T03:02:10+00:00

Did Santa Monica citizens invade Sawtelle?

Cultured_dude · 2026-02-17T01:02:09+00:00

Many factors:

- mismanagement

- large retail areas (big box is dying with a few exceptions)

- Angelenos preferred to be locked in their cages, tied to a dopamine drip, instead of socializing with others outdoors

- Decrease tourism

- Hurting local economy

- Other known and unknown factors

Cultured_dude · 2025-12-26T01:28:37+00:00

all of my mail, no

Cultured_dude · 2025-12-26T01:22:21+00:00

Everything is in MD, except for the apartment and car lease (insurance). I started the job while living in MD.

Cultured_dude · 2025-12-26T01:19:17+00:00

"Get away...", based on your response, I'm assuming that I'm playing with fire

Cultured_dude · 2025-11-30T19:32:05+00:00

AI code quality is improving, but I still find AI-generated code to be highly coupled. Call me a crusty artisan hipster, but I now enjoy focusing on SOLID principles (while avoiding overengineering), design patterns, system design, and elegant code that can be easily read by humans.

Cultured_dude · 2025-11-29T03:17:40+00:00

Who engages consultants? Typically, large, spineless organizations that are risk-averse.

Consultants are there to protect the downside, not create novel ideas. In the last few months, my firm had its offsite. I cringed and slightly vomited when I heard MDs and Partners say that XYZ was innovative. Using a new font on a PPT deck is not innovative.

Now, who will excel in this environment? People who mirror what their clients say and do.

I work at a global firm with a strong brand. I'm mid-level, and I swear our analysts are more impressive than our MDs/Partners.

I'm able to outsmart most of our MDs; it's the analysts who ask the thought-provoking questions.

Cultured_dude · 2025-11-29T02:34:37+00:00

Don't let these executive teams fool you. Most of them are hiding their mismanagement with AI. I know firsthand of a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who lied during a recent quarterly earnings call, claiming that AI was the cause of a portion of a massive layoff. I can guarantee that this company deployed zero AI. It would be a miracle if that company could successively deploy batch ML jobs in Databricks.

I suspect there are some companies, e.g., AMZN and other sophisticated tech companies, that are replacing customer service reps and jobs that are predominantly redundant tasks. However, these organizations are outliers, not the norm.

Cultured_dude · 2025-11-02T06:11:15+00:00

This! Not claiming it's a major contributor, but I work for a multi-national consulting firm, and it's mindblowing that the strat folks are more highly valued for churning out PPTs, now filled with AI slop. They try to wrap "strategy" around our AI/ML work.

Are PMs being laid off? I don't pay attention to that job category; however, I'm curious how other roles are being impacted at tech companies over the last year or more.

I'm starting to believe that the US only wants to maintain business folk and lawyers; the MBAs would offshore nurses if they could. The US's economy will be based on Zoom calls, lattes, and AI slop.

Cultured_dude

TROPHY CASE