Writing on startups, AI, product thinking, and ideas worth spreading.https://sheevcharan.com/en-ushttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/moats-in-ai-built-on-shifting-ground/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/moats-in-ai-built-on-shifting-ground/i have been thinking about moat in building an ai company, and three independent insights from three different people make a lot of sense when put together.Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/mmmwhat-is-storytelling/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/mmmwhat-is-storytelling/I’ve read many books, watched countless movies, listened to a bunch of podcasts, gone through endless X threads, and still I couldn’t quite understand what storThu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-design-systems-moment-for-ai-content/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-design-systems-moment-for-ai-content/Internet users will drown in AI-generated content. The brands who survive won't be the ones who generate the most. They'll be the ones who generate the most narWed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-ai-slop-argument-is-costing-you/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-ai-slop-argument-is-costing-you/If you're someone complaining about AI generated slop, almost to a degree where you take pride in doing so. You will most likely end up on the losing side of hiFri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/nobody-is-building-for-the-instinct/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/nobody-is-building-for-the-instinct/People think building AI films is simple. You prompt, you get a video, you're good to go. But that is not the reality.Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-monoculture-tax/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-monoculture-tax/When everyone uses the same AI tools and prompts, outputs converge. The cost of that convergence is originality.Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/why-the-us-israel-and-iran-are-at-war-now/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/why-the-us-israel-and-iran-are-at-war-now/A breakdown of the structural incentives driving the US-Israel-Iran conflict, beyond the surface-level political narratives.Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-father-35-years-of-banking-and-claude/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-father-35-years-of-banking-and-claude/How my father used Claude to simulate a senior executive interviewer before his promotion panel — and what that reveals about AI as a thinking partner.Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/show-me-your-claude-chat/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/show-me-your-claude-chat/In a world where humans and AI are collaborating, you're not hiring a person anymore. You're hiring a human + AI agent system. Most interviews aren't designed fThu, 26 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/talk-to-customers-thats-not-the-point/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/talk-to-customers-thats-not-the-point/An average product person talks to customers to gather pain points and behaviours, then builds from that. The good ones treat pain and behaviour as raw materialSat, 21 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/dont-play-their-game/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/dont-play-their-game/Playing by someone else's rules means you've already lost. On the importance of defining your own metrics.Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-poker-table-you-cant-even-see/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-poker-table-you-cant-even-see/Every time I read or hear the stories of 1000x breakout success like Elon Musk or Jensen Huang, it feels like the public story is the same.Tue, 23 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/doctor-like-product-thinking/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/doctor-like-product-thinking/The best product thinkers diagnose before they prescribe — like doctors who listen before they write a prescription.Wed, 26 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/building-a-startup-is-structurally-similar-to-leading-a-social-movement/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/building-a-startup-is-structurally-similar-to-leading-a-social-movement/The mechanics of building a startup and leading a social movement are more alike than most founders realize.Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/i-predict-a-huge-dip-in-engagement-and-usage-on-linkedin-over-the-next-46-months-because-the-cringe-content-is-going-away/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/i-predict-a-huge-dip-in-engagement-and-usage-on-linkedin-over-the-next-46-months-because-the-cringe-content-is-going-away/We are emotional beings. We like to consume content that’s polarizing.Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/customer-insight-or-perfect-process-for-startup-success/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/customer-insight-or-perfect-process-for-startup-success/Today, I sat down with someone on the product team to review our CRM – supposedly THE 'System of Record' for all customer interactions.Thu, 11 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/india-needs-dating-education-before-dating-apps/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/india-needs-dating-education-before-dating-apps/Most dating apps in India are solving for perfect matching. But is the real problem a lack of dating education?Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/weve-turned-filmmaking-into-fast-food-and-the-audience-has-lost-taste/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/weve-turned-filmmaking-into-fast-food-and-the-audience-has-lost-taste/Lately, I've been feeling this quiet disappointment every time I open an OTT platform or see a movie trailer blow up on Instagram.Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/things-connect-in-unexpected-ways/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/things-connect-in-unexpected-ways/I was tinkering on some image models with my buddy Sahil the other day.Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-narrative-we-tell-ourselves/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-narrative-we-tell-ourselves/I was talking to a UPSC aspirant who had spent 6 years trying to crack the exam, but could not.Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/value-of-ai-agents-in-india-vs-usa/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/value-of-ai-agents-in-india-vs-usa/I had a big revelation today about the fundamental difference between Indian and US consumers in the AI agents market, and it's surprisingly logical.Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/cnn-was-seeking-the-truth/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/cnn-was-seeking-the-truth/A reflection on journalism, truth-seeking, and what it means to report with integrity in a world of noise.Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/ais-impact-on-anguilla/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/ais-impact-on-anguilla/Everyone’s hyped about AI models, AGI, and billion-dollar valuations. But no one’s talking about a tiny Caribbean island that’s quietly making bank from the AI Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/what-people-are-not-realising-about-sama-and-jony-video/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/what-people-are-not-realising-about-sama-and-jony-video/Everyone is talking about the $6.5B acquisition, and almost no one is talking about what Sama casually said:Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/i-hate-current-operating-systems/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/i-hate-current-operating-systems/Operating systems have not fundamentally changed in decades. A rant about why the interface between humans and computers is still broken.Sat, 26 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/india-undervalues-talent-overvalues-hard-work/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/india-undervalues-talent-overvalues-hard-work/India celebrates grind over genius. Why this cultural bias is holding back a generation of talented builders.Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/cultural-values-are-lame-and-mostly-useless/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/cultural-values-are-lame-and-mostly-useless/Most company values are decorative. They describe who you want to be, not who you are. Here is why they fail.Sat, 19 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-notes-from-ai-x-design-how-will-ai-change-how-we-design-event-by-devc/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-notes-from-ai-x-design-how-will-ai-change-how-we-design-event-by-devc/1/ With all the advancements in AI, the role of a designer remains the same = Biz Problems + User problems + User Behaviour.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-learnings-from-saasboomi-2025/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/my-learnings-from-saasboomi-2025/1/ Storytelling is the most critical skill of an entrepreneur. But it's incredibly hard. So after speaking to a lot of people, I came up with a framework to telThu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/incentives-and-penalties/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/incentives-and-penalties/Culture is the fundamental fabric of any society, and startup culture is one of those things people understand at a vibe level but do not understand how it is aTue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-art-of-experimentation/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-art-of-experimentation/Today, I have been thinking a lot about experimentation.Sun, 09 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-physics-of-winning-in-startups/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/the-physics-of-winning-in-startups/Startups that win are not the ones working hardest — they are the ones who understand the forces working for and against them.Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/you-only-get-1-2-moonshots-so-make-it-count/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/you-only-get-1-2-moonshots-so-make-it-count/“I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible.” - Friedrich NietzscheThu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/random-learnings-from-b2b/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/random-learnings-from-b2b/1. Avoid building tools to replace low-income, low-frequency jobs.Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/is-jevons-paradox-the-reason-for-the-next-billion-developers/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/is-jevons-paradox-the-reason-for-the-next-billion-developers/the journey to enabling the next billion developers is going to be interesting.Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/developing-taste-with-pre-20th-century-classics/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/developing-taste-with-pre-20th-century-classics/AI is generating prolific amounts of content, and it's likely to get even better next year.Fri, 06 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/dont-stop-at-conflict-resolution-make-the-collaboration-work/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/dont-stop-at-conflict-resolution-make-the-collaboration-work/When you’re in a high-performing team—whether in tech, sports, or business—handling conflict is not enough. You have to make the collaboration work. This isn't Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/follow-your-awe-intensely/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/follow-your-awe-intensely/Moving out, house hunting, and the lesson that the things worth doing are usually found by following what genuinely awes you.Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/rebellion/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/rebellion/Rebellion is not a sin — it is the source of all progress. The rebels and misfits push humanity forward.Fri, 02 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/not-that-kind-of-love/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/not-that-kind-of-love/so here we go again, my attempt at writing something meaningful or, hopefully, capturing today's stream of consciousness for my future self. hey buddy!Fri, 26 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/idea-person-and-bullet-train-driver/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/idea-person-and-bullet-train-driver/you have to be either one of the things to do this. you are either an ideas person like Hari or bullet train driver like Aravind to be successful at an org.Sat, 20 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/tyrannical-hierarchy-sucker-punches-creatives/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/tyrannical-hierarchy-sucker-punches-creatives/in a tyrannical hierarchy, freedom of expression is unwelcome. power is the only currency, everything is too orderly, and information is controlled.Fri, 19 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/why-do-anything-in-this-meaningless-life/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/why-do-anything-in-this-meaningless-life/A personal answer to the nihilist question — if life has no inherent meaning, why bother doing anything at all?Fri, 05 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/energy-sources-energy-sinks/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/energy-sources-energy-sinks/Every person, project, and environment either gives you energy or drains it. Learning to tell the difference changes everything.Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/of-the-ai-by-the-ai-for-the-ai/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/of-the-ai-by-the-ai-for-the-ai/Abraham Lincoln said in a democracy - government is of the people, government is by the people, government is for the people.Fri, 28 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://sheevcharan.com/blog/will-gandhi-or-picasso-use-this-technology-as-a-filter/https://sheevcharan.com/blog/will-gandhi-or-picasso-use-this-technology-as-a-filter/The best creators do not resist new tools — they filter them through their unique worldview. What would Gandhi or Picasso do with AI?Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT