About Me

Hey there. I'm James Golebie [goal-ah-bee]. Analyst, designer, INTJ.

This website is my personal blog, portfolio, and general home for some of my creative output. I've found that many people I admired maintained sites like this. Learn more about my inspiration and goals in creating this site here.

I grew up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School. Even as a child, I was fascinated by technology and entrepreneurship. I constantly sought out the latest gadgets and looked for new problems to solve.

In elementary school, I set up a refreshments stand on the local golf course. In middle school, I started a neighborhood yard work business that allowed me to earn money year-round. In high school, I spent weekends caddying at a country club before landing my first hourly job as a groundskeeper at a local driving range and mini golf course.

After high school, I attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, graduating with a degree in Business Administration focused on Marketing and Economics. Although I never enjoyed the structure of the traditional school system, I have an intense curiosity and love for constant learning and research.

I also care deeply about others and am patient and long-term focused. I enjoy lifelong pursuits like running, cycling, skiing, golfing, and cooking that allow me to continually improve and master new skills.

I'm also a huge sports fan who loves witnessing top performers compete at the highest levels. If it's the playoffs, championships, or any high stakes "for all the marbles" competition, no matter the sport I'm interested.

Great design in all aspects of life, from graphic design to architecture, is incredibly important to me. I find joy in bringing thoughtfulness and planning to everything I do and produce. Although I can be a perfectionist, I have worked to embrace "good enough" and I value creation over consumption.

Professionally, I am a product portfolio manager which allows me to leverage my analytical and technical skills. Personally, I love analyzing data to inform practical and fun decisions alike. I'm the guy making Excel spreadsheets to compare models before I buy a new TV, and creating forecasting models to help set my fantasy football lineup. I do it for the love of the game.

Here is a collection of people and things that have inspired me and shaped my thinking:

Blogs

• Sam Altman
• Paul Graham
• Derek Sivers
• Andy Matuschak
• Alex Guzey
• Ben Kuhn
• Neal Agarwal
• Tynan
• Dynomight

Podcasts

• The Tim Ferriss Show
• How I Built This
• 99% Invisible
• Freakonomics
• The Moth

Quotes

People

Thanks to those who leave the breadcrumbs in the forest. Who knows where I'd be without them.

• Richard Feynman - for his boundless curiosity and ability to explain complex ideas in a way that is both accessible and engaging.
• Steve Prefontaine - for his philosophy that "to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift" redefining what was possible in distance running through sheer audacity and willpower.
• Marcus Aurelius - for his personal writings that reveal a leader who constantly questioned himself and strove for self-improvement despite his immense power.
• Steve Jobs - for his relentless pursuit of perfection in design and ability to create products that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
• Elon Musk - for his approach to first principles thinking which demonstrates how breaking down complex problems to their fundamentals can lead to revolutionary solutions.
• Satoshi Nakamoto - for creating Bitcoin, fundamentally changing the way we think about money and value, and showing how seemingly insurmountable technical challenges can be solved with enough creativity.
• Tim Ferriss - for his ability to learn and master new skills through extreme experimentation and his ability to distill complex ideas into actionable insights.
• Naval Ravikant - for his philosophy on wealth and success, emphasizing the importance of hard work, discipline, and the pursuit of knowledge.
• Alan Turing - for his groundbreaking work in computer science and cryptography, and his unwavering belief in the potential of artificial intelligence.
• Michael Jordan - for his relentless pursuit of excellence and ability to continually reinvent his game demonstrating that true greatness comes from constant adaptation and improvement.
• Charles Darwin - for his groundbreaking work in biology and evolution, and his willingness to publish ideas that challenged religious and social conventions showing the importance of pursuing truth despite potential backlash.
• Bill Watterson - for his commitment to artistic integrity over commercialization showing the power of choosing principles over profit.
• Nikola Tesla - for his visionary ideas about wireless power and communication that were decades ahead of their time, showing the importance of dreaming big.
• Kanye West - for his impact across music, fashion, and culture showing how creative vision can transcend traditional boundaries.
• Leonardo da Vinci - for his unfinished works and constant experimentation showing that the process of discovery is as valuable as the final product.
• J. Kenji Lopez-Alt - for his scientific approach to cooking showing how questioning conventional wisdom can lead to better understanding and results.
• Jean-Michel Basquiat - for his unique style mixing high and low culture challenging artistic conventions and expanding what was possible in contemporary art.
• Paul Graham - for his ability to identify and articulate subtle truths about technology and society helping others navigate rapid change.
• Vitalik Buterin - for his ability to bridge technical complexity with philosophical implications helping shape the future of decentralized systems.
• Eliud Kipchoge - for his humble lifestyle and dedication to his craft despite massive success demonstrating the power of staying true to one's values that "no human is limited".