How to make friends as an adult

Also: My DEXA scan results, book recs, and a call for a GM to take over Signature Block.

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover , founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund . I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays . This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe alongside 20k others here . :)

1. I just published an essay on how to make friends as an adult . Spoiler: Social sports.

2. The vibe in tech was different back then. I moved to SF in 2010 and started Product Hunt three years later. It was a time of optimism and booming opportunity with the rise of mobile. I appreciate Ashley Mayer’s articulation of this era and the narrative shifts we've experienced in tech over the last 15 years.

3. So much of our social culture revolves around food and alcohol. Fortunately, we’re seeing more spaces emerge with alternative, healthier options. I went to a preview of Othership ’s new location in NYC, a sauna and ice bath space. Robbie Bent, the CEO and a friend, has put so much love and care into the experience. I wish I had photos to share.

4. NYC is growing on me. I just returned from a quick five-day trip. Outside of my visit to Othership, I had no plans, yet every day was filled with friend hangs, activities, and miles of walking. Below is a photo of my favorite piece from the Mercer Labs exhibit. Half-Life vibes.

5. "Writing online is a conversation." Fred Wilson articulates one of the reasons why I'm writing more. Truth is, Product Hunt wouldn't exist if I wasn't writing daily in ~2012.

6. I just finished listening to Crypto Confidential by Nat Eliason, a retelling of the crypto boom and chaos in 2021-2022. It's an entertaining listen/read.

7. More in books: Shout out to Mike Maples Jr. on the launch of his new book, Pattern Breakers . It's in my queue. Here’s a recent interview and preview to the book, with Lenny.

8. Every year or two, I get a DEXA scan. I uploaded my recent results to ChatGPT to analyze. The results weren't particularly insightful but this is clearly the future.

9. Related to the above, it’s nice to see people exploring how AI can improve health understanding outside of the traditional. Example: Farb, former CEO of a Weekend Fund-backed startup, is building Sequel , an open source AI longevity assistant.

10. My Weekend Fund teammate, Vedika, is moving to SF. I'm stoked for her. Give her a welcome on Twitter .

11. I've played with many AI tools. Many underdeliver after showcasing incredible demo videos. Some are neat, but don't really work. But occasionally, I find something truly magical. We just invested in a company that inspired this tweet .

12. Kudos to Linda Xie and everyone that’s been working on the Ethereum documentary . I’ve always wanted to produce a documentary… but I’m not sure I will after speaking with Linda about how much work is involved to do it well.?

13. Vedika and I started Signature Block a few years ago as a side project. We’re now looking for a GM to take it over. Details on our “reverse job req” here .

14. My friend David Spinks is taking on new clients. He’s a coach who helps founders navigate personal struggles and make better decisions. He's an experienced founder and one of the strongest community builders I know. If you’re interested in working with him, reply to this email for an intro.

15. Shower thought: AI expands the breadth of what people can do, collapsing roles into a single person. Everyone is becoming a generalist, and therefore their value is on the decline. It’s never been more important to specialize and become the top 0.1% in something useful.

Until next time,

Ryan ???