Jack's March 2024 Recap
Launching a new IG, job stuff, birthday, and more.
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Welcome back to my monthly update! As a reminder, at the end of each month, I’ll send a few brief updates about what I’ve been working on/thinking about, as well as links to any interesting books/content I’ve read, watched, or listened to over the last month. Let’s get started.
General Update
A few updates, but first, a request! I just made a new Instagram page to better distribute my blog content, as well as everything that I’ll be publishing with Sherwood (my new employer, Robinhood’s media arm) to a broader audience. If you’re on Instagram, do me a favor and follow my new page, @jackraineswrites, to help me kick-start this thing. If you click the link via iPhone, you may have to go through Safari, then select open in app.
Many thanks, now on to the bigger updates.
One of my favorite parts of Columbia Business School is our “CBS Matters” tradition, where students have the opportunity to share their personal stories with their classmates. I turned 27 on Monday, and I figured that between celebrating another trip around the sun with some of my favorite people and approaching the end of my time in school, it was time for me to do a CBS Matters. After some reflecting, I shared my story with close to 100 classmates yesterday.
I forget, sometimes, that people that I’m close to now may only know small fragments of my life from before we met. It was cool taking my friends and classmates through my background, and it was fun for me to look back on my journey. In related news, I think I should write a proper piece on my takeaways after two years in business school.
Back to the birthday stuff. 27 is an interesting year. I think I’m now firmly in my late 20s, even though I don’t physically feel much different from 26, or, for that matter, 25. This is also, in some ways, an ending of a chapter. I got into business school in 2019 through a deferred enrollment program at 22, so for the last 5 years, I’ve had a bit of a blueprint: ~three years of work/travel before business school, two years of school, then the rest of your life. I’m now a month away from “the rest of your life” part, and I’m okay with that. I have had, without a doubt, the most fun early to mid-20s possible, and I came out on the other side with a fantastic job that I love. I’ll take that all day.
In case you missed last month’s update, I started working for Sherwood Media, a new media venture launched by Robinhood. Our new site is going live soon, and you’ll see me publishing more markets and business content shortly. Working with editors and other writers has been a new, but interesting experience thus far, and having someone else review my work has done wonders for the quality. Related, if you’re a writer (freelance or full-time), and you’re interested in working with us, shoot me an email.
And, most importantly, my Spanish proficiency has improved notably over the last month. I’ve been taking 1 on 1 lessons on italki, a site where you can schedule foreign language lessons with people from all over the world, and I was able to chitchat with two of my Colombian and Argentinian friends without codeswitching back to English mid-convo. I have come to realize that, unfortunately, the only thing preventing my improvement was a lack of focus on my part. There’s something to that.
Books I Liked
1) Troubled by Rob Henderson
I’ve been reading Rob’s newsletter for a while, and, funny enough, I met him in person at a wedding in Houston in January. His new memoir, Troubled, provides a unique perspective on the different socio-economic levels of the United States. For context, Rob had a tumultuous childhood in California’s foster care system, filled with drugs, booze, instability, and violence from a young age, before joining the military and eventually attending Yale and Cambridge for his bachelor’s and Ph.D. Rob’s story about his upbringing, as well as his experience attending some of the West’s elite institutions, is a must-read for anyone, especially those who came from means in the US. Check it out.
2) Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain made food fun. Period. Written before he had achieved television fame, Kitchen Confidential was an excellent unveiling of the secret world of NYC’s culinary scene. It was scandalous, hilarious, and, at times, a bit disgusting. Bourdain’s self-deprecating sense of humor and ability to paint pictures with his words kept me glued to the book from beginning to end. Check it out.
3) How to Live by Derek Sivers
I first found Sivers’ work while attempting an incredibly smooth-brained journey from Naples to London by train (I know, I know) in October 2021, and I recently reread this gem. I don’t know how to describe How to Live other than that it embodies the idea that “there are no rules” to how one chooses to lead their life. It’s an excellent book for a reader who would like to view themselves as the protagonist of their own story. Check it out.
Other Content
I’ve been very fortunate to have Michael Mauboussin as a professor in business school this semester, and I thought his 2021 paper on cash flow statement adjustments provided a great framework for better understanding how money flows through businesses.
This Bloomberg piece on Sam Bankman-Fried was the best summary I’ve read about just how corrupt the infamous FTX CEO was.
Ed Zitron’s piece on the degradation of the internet through Gen AI is a must-read.
- Jack
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