Today I’m joined by Eugene Wei. Eugene is former executive at Amazon, Hulu, Flipboard, and Oculus, a writer, a product thinker, and as I like to think about him - a renaissance man.
We have a wide-ranging conversation about technology, culture, and what it means to be human in the digital age. Eugene, known for his influential long-form essays on tech and culture, opens up about stepping back from Silicon Valley's relentless pace to reconnect with what matters.
The conversation moves through the performative nature of modern life, the decline of authentic community, and why Eugene believes we need to reclaim friction in our lives. They discuss the loneliness epidemic, the death of the blogging era, creator burnout, and whether we're ready to live entirely through screens.
It's a thoughtful, grounded look at someone who's choosing depth over speed, real connection over virtual performance, and asking the hard questions about what technology is doing to our humanity.
Topics covered:
Timestamps:
(00:00) Trailer
(01:16) Introduction to Eugene Wei
(04:31) Film Festivals and the End of Summer
(11:06) Boredom as Meditation and Creative Space
(12:32) The Slow Cancellation of the Future
(17:17) Rear Window and Social Media as Voyeurism
(20:39) The Performative Self and Creator Burnout
(21:25) Audience Capture and Writing
(24:26) The Comfort of Joining a Crowd
(28:48) Film Festival Economics and Indie Cinema
(31:15) The Streaming Model's Impact on Hollywood
(38:23) Pricing Anchors: Netflix and OpenAI
(40:32) Stepping Back from Tech's Take Culture
(43:55) Silicon Valley Culture
(47:07) AI and Desensitization to Breakthroughs
(50:17) Tech's Responsibility and Steve Jobs
(59:32) Personal Technology Hygiene
(01:03:25) Social Media as Our Perceptual Field
(01:06:31) The Pandemic Experiment: Living Through Screens
(01:09:11) Missing the Social Networking Era
(01:10:50) The Blogging Era and Tech Meme
(01:16:33) Writing as Therapy
(01:21:05) The Decline of Community Structures
(01:22:05) College as Peak Community
(01:23:26) Friction, Flaking, and the Smartphone Era
(01:26:45) Religious Movements and Community Sacrifice
(01:28:17) Remote Work and Lost Social Structures
(01:29:39) The Future is Bright: Young People at Interact
(01:31:14) Hope: Collective Agency and Micro-Communities
(01:35:47) Closing Thoughts
Eugene Wei
**https://eugenewei.substack.com/**
**https://x.com/eugenewei**
Luba Yudasina
Kathryn Cross, founder of Anja Health, and Rajya Atluri, founder of Coral AI join The Luba Show to share their unique startup journeys and insights. One has raised over 6M in funding, while the other bootstrapped her company to 1M ARR. We discuss imposter syndrome, why they think it's overrated, and how keeping a positive mindset can open up many opportunities. We compare notes on bootstrapping vs raising venture, the importance of having a supportive network, and how female friendships have played a key role in their journeys.
In this episode, we dive deep into:
→ Why they believe imposter syndrome is fake
→ The "have you raised?" trap: How bootstrapped founders get dismissed despite having more revenue
→ Stepping away from a profitable YC company and why investor pressure was actually self-imposed
→ Being unapologetically girly in tech: The "strive to be a 7" advice and why they ignore it
→ Lucky girl syndrome: How believing you'll be lucky actually makes you lucky
→ Bootstrapped to $1M ARR vs. raising millions—which path is actually better?
…and much more
Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(00:56) Meet the Founders: Kathryn and Rajya
(01:17) Dealing with Uncertainty in Startups
(02:49) Therapy and Startups
(05:40) The Startup Journey: From College to Launch House
(10:33) Bootstrapping vs. Raising VC
(20:06) The Role of Female Friendships in Their Lives
(21:57) Imposter Syndrome Revisited
(31:03) Choosing Positive Narratives
(32:02) The Drive to Build Again
(33:36) Motivations and Interests
(34:07) The Intersection of Social Apps and Dating
(34:51) The Joy of Creating and Founding
(37:41) The Reality of Fundraising
(40:20) Co-Founder Dynamics
(42:51) Balancing Personal Identity and Startups
(58:56) The Pressure of Raising Capital
(1:09:35) Embracing Individuality and Attention
(1:10:09) Women in Tech: Community and Connections
(1:12:26) The YC Experience and Startup Culture
(1:15:39) Living and Building in Different Cities
(1:30:21) Influential Founders and Role Models
(1:37:45) Reflecting on Personal Values and Friendships
(1:41:36) The Importance of EQ and Marketing in Tech
(1:44:11) Ending
Links
Kathryn Cross
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-cross/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathrynjcross/
X: https://x.com/kathrynjc7
Rajya Atluri
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajyaatluri/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rajyaatluri/
Luba Yudasina
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeoflubaa
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/yudasinal
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/lifeofluba
X: https://x.com/lubayudasina
Jacob Peters, co-founder and CEO of Superpower, joins The Luba Show.
We talk about the mindsets that push founders forward, how childhood shapes ambition, why he believes the body is a data system, and the role of delusion, intuition, and “vibes” in building a generational team. Jacob also opens up about personal transformation, transcendental meditation, and what he’s learned about co-founders, hiring, and consciousness as a performance edge.
I always have such a wide range of conversations with Jacob and this one was a treat.
In this episode, we discuss:
• The subconscious “pre-prompts” that quietly drive founders
• Clean vs. dirty fuel: why ambition built on insecurity breaks down
• Why Superpower hires like a cult, and how he built a 40-person team with extreme ownership
• Interoceptive awareness and using your body as an intelligence system
• How to evaluate co-founders through intuition, energy, and pattern recognition
• The role of delusion, confidence, and narrative in recruiting and fundraising
… and much more
Highlights:
(00:00) Jacob Peters
(02:22) Jacob's Journey: From Childhood to Consciousness Expansion
(05:24) The Power of Subconscious Awareness
(08:07) The Role of Interoceptive Awareness in Health
(13:51) Jacob's Entrepreneurial Beginnings with Legos
(19:25) From Legos to Technology: Early Ventures
(21:20) Building Communities and the Birth of Commsor
(24:30) Co-Founder Relationships
(28:10) Tuning into Gut Feelings and Vibes
(32:39) Creating a Conscious Company Culture
(38:00) Volatility as a Feature in Company Culture
(39:42) Building a Mission-Driven Team
(40:21) Solving the Cold Start Problem
(41:34) Empowerment and Ownership in the Workplace
(41:47) Recruiting the First Few Key Members
(44:06) The Role of Delusion in Success
(47:38) Introspection and Self-Improvement
(01:06:03) The Genesis of Superpower
(01:10:57) Personal Mission Statements
(01:17:47) Choosing Investors and Stakeholder Alignment
(01:21:13) Founders and Future Aspirations
Links
Jacob
X - https://x.com/J__Cub
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobdpeters/
Luba
Linkedin- https://liniked.com/in/yudasinal
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa
X - https://www.twitter.com/LubaYudasina
Marty Kausas, co-founder & CEO of Pylon joins Luba to open up about the real cost, mindset, and psychology behind building a company in “grind mode.” Marty recently went viral after being profiled in the Wall Street Journal for his 100 hour work week lifestyle.
We talk about why he works 90–100 hour weeks, how he thinks about ambition, fun, burnout, and why he sees company-building as a 10-year board game he refuses to lose. Marty also explains how he picked his co-founders, what finally worked after years of pivots, why most people start companies for the wrong reasons, and what keeps him locked into this pace.
It’s a grounded, honest look into a founder who’s both extreme and surprisingly self-aware — and why, even with all the sacrifice, he’s genuinely having the time of his life.
In this episode, we go deep on:
Highlights:
(00:39) Introduction and Daily Schedule
(03:06) Work–Life Integration
(05:57) Defining Success and Win Conditions
(09:10) Sustainability and Personal Sacrifice
(13:10) Family Background and Upbringing
(20:48) Leaving Airbnb and Starting the Journey (38:51) Finding the Right Co-founders
(46:56) Deciding Roles and Company Structure (56:08) Learning from Airbnb and Role Models (01:03:56) Admiring Elon Musk’s Approach
(01:09:49) Biggest Fear: Slowing Down
(01:12:34) Life Outside Work and Relationships (01:16:11) Building Pylon and Providing Value
(01:20:33) Regret Minimization and Priorities (01:24:07) Beliefs About Tech and Life
(01:26:19) Daily Habits and Closing Thoughts
Marty Kausas
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martykausas/
Luba Yudasina