On Thursday morning, June 12, 2025, the world was as peaceful as ever. People went about their daily lives, sending and receiving emails, doing work, and attending video conferences. All the services we use without thinking are powered by a giant heart called the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). No one could have imagined that this heart would suddenly stop. A small crack can cause chaos The seeds of all chaos began with the Service Control system, the invisible gatekeeper of Google Cloud, which strictly managed hundreds of millions of API requests coming in from all over the world. In late May, new code was quietly added to provide more sophisticated policy management, but it contained a fatal flaw: the infamous null pointer error. At 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time on June 12, 2025, an engineer entered a single policy change command. The command contained an unintended empty data field, and the data was quickly distributed to Google’s global data centers. Seconds later, the service control systems in all data centers around the world simultaneously encountered this error and crashed. The moment the world stopped At 10:51 a.m., the monitors of developers around the world began to show a “503 Service Unavailable.” At first, everyone thought it was a problem with their own code, but they soon realized the severity of the situation. The problem was much bigger. The Internet itself was down. Many services based on Google Cloud, such as Cloudflare, Supabase, and Sentry, were simultaneously shut down. Companies, schools, and hospitals that worked through these services were paralyzed all over the world. When GCP, the center of the digital world, stopped, the Internet world collapsed one after another as if it was falling into darkness. A desperate fight for recovery The SRE (Site Reliability Engineering) team at Google headquarters immediately went into emergency mode. The problem was identified within two minutes of the failure, and emergency response began immediately. All engineers worked desperately to achieve one goal: to press the 'red button' to restore the system. But even the recovery process was not smooth. In particular, the recovery command was processed all at once in the largest data center, 'us-central-1', and the 'herd effect' occurred, which caused the failure to worsen due to traffic overload. The situation got worse. Engineers tried to slowly recover by diverting traffic to other areas and carefully controlling the load on the system. Tension was at its peak, and an hour felt like a day. 8 hours of silence, and the promise of dawn Finally, after a long struggle of 8 hours, the last data center was restored. Internet services were restored one by one, and people were able to gradually return to their daily lives. Google immediately issued an official apology and a detailed report on the failure. The report included how a small code error brought the entire world to a halt, and what measures would be taken to avoid making the same mistake again in the future. Google has pledged to further refine its systems, to thoroughly test even small changes, and to build a structure that will not collapse in the future due to small errors. A warning to modern society This incident clearly showed how unstable modern society is based on an invisible technological foundation. The Internet infrastructure that we take for granted was by no means perfect. Rather, it contained vulnerabilities that could easily be shaken by even the smallest error. The eight-hour internet outage on June 12, 2025 was a wake-up call for all of us. We must now realize that the digital civilization we enjoy is not built on solid ground, but on uncertainty that can shake at any moment. Remembering those eight hours, we need to think deeply about the stability and reliability of the system and the responsibility for technology once again. This incident was bitter, but it was a historical event that taught us a lesson we must learn.

The Vibe Coding article I recently posted received more attention than I expected. In particular, when I honestly shared specific profit stories, many people sympathized and found it interesting. Thanks to that, I was feeling good, but recently, I encountered an unexpected situation. This is what happened when an anonymous person reported something to me about an overseas corporation I run . At first, I was really surprised. I didn't do anything illegal, but I was suddenly reported, so it was absurd. Through this experience, I would like to share a story that may be useful to those who are considering overseas corporations or global payments like me. 🚨 What was the report? The content of the report is as follows. It was a complaint about whether I was properly following the various reporting and procedures required in Korea regarding the overseas corporation I established with Stripe Atlas. To conclude, fortunately, I had no problems. This is because I had been processing tax returns (comprehensive income tax) and foreign exchange transaction reports from the beginning through a professional tax accountant. It was also the season for the final income tax, so I was preparing the documents thoroughly with the tax accountant. I am always grateful to Ichon Tax Accounting Firm. What you need to know when operating an overseas corporation in Korea However, I learned something through this experience. In my case, I had already prepared, but if I hadn't prepared properly in advance, a complicated and troublesome situation could have arisen. There are obligations that must be fulfilled when establishing or operating an overseas corporation in Korea. I actually don't know the details, so I followed the advice and instructions of the tax accountant. Foreign exchange transaction report (reporting of overseas direct investment and regular reporting required through foreign exchange bank) Comprehensive income tax return (including income earned overseas in addition to income earned domestically) The above procedure is not difficult, but if you don't do it in advance or forget, it can become unnecessarily complicated. Tips that helped me personally The reason I was able to get through this without any problems this time is because of the following reasons. 1️⃣ Get help from a professional tax accountant Whether you are a sole proprietor or a corporation, you can deal with these situations right away by working with a tax accountant. (A tax accountant is especially helpful during the comprehensive income tax filing season.) 2️⃣ Use the Creator Automatic Deposit Service (Shinhan Bank) If you are a developer or creator, revenue management can be complicated, but I use Shinhan Bank's 'Creator Automatic Deposit Service', so revenue management is neatly organized. Thanks to this, it was convenient when reporting. 3️⃣ If you don’t absolutely need an overseas corporation, use a domestic solution In fact, if you don’t absolutely need an overseas corporation, there are many solutions that allow you to easily build a payment system domestically. Personally, I think services like Latpeed and Toss Payments are the most realistic and recommended. If you are a self-employed person and do not like complicated things, I recommend Lepid. If you can handle development yourself and are a corporate business, I recommend Toss. Of course, if you can establish and handle an overseas corporation, I recommend Stripe Atlas or LemonSqueeze. Is an overseas corporation really necessary? "Unless there's a really special reason for it, offshore corporations can be unnecessarily complicated."

The post I recently uploaded about Vibe Coding drew more attention than I expected. While many people focused only on the success story, there were actually a number of trials, errors, and failures during the process. Today, I want to share one of the more interesting 'struggles' I experienced with you. At the time, the service I developed was a PDF protection system called "PDF AI SHIELD." It came from the idea that, as more and more LLMs (large language models) easily read and summarize PDF documents, there should be a way to prevent this. When I'd distribute materials to students at university or carefully prepare and share official documents, people would just have AI summarize and read them—so I started wondering how to limit that. The way LLMs organize and summarize the documents and data we provide is pretty straightforward. They read the document → pick out key points → group and condense them → express them briefly → and then output the information for us. During this process, I came up with a method to interfere in the "reading" step, preventing LLMs from even chunking the data. Standard PDF security typically uses passwords, certificates, or OCR removal, but I added a unique approach on top of these methods. That trick was basically spraying "invisible paint" on the PDF. To the human eye, everything seemed normal, but for LLMs, it acted as a kind of "transparent paint" on the document that prevented them from reading it. I also encrypted tags in the form of certificates and the PDF metadata, making it difficult for LLMs to access. Technically speaking, it worked better than I expected—well-known LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and even local models were all blocked by this method. Seeing the results, it almost felt like I'd scored a small victory against the big AI companies. With this boost in confidence, I set up the pricing policy and started promoting in Reddit and several overseas communities. Buyers came in faster than I thought, and it really felt like the business would take off quickly. Honestly, I admit I was a little carried away at that point. Here's how I structured the business model: First use is free without logging in Log in and you can use it once per day (based on 24 hours) With a monthly subscription, you can use it up to 30 times a day Unlimited use with an annual subscription But it didn’t take long for an unexpected issue to pop up. While the protection worked well with models like GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet 3.5, and Gemini Pro, it was completely bypassed by newer models such as o3 and Sonnet 3.7. Plus, with some mini models or in certain situations, even the encrypted metadata was breached. Luckily, one of the early users kindly reported this problem, and I immediately processed refunds for all buyers. Since this was a security service, even a single breach meant I couldn't keep selling the product. Because of payment fees and such, the profit I'd made up front quickly turned into a loss, but handling it quickly saved me from bigger troubles. Better that than getting dragged into some security lawsuit, right? It's not like I rashly counted a deposit as profit. I've got a few more stories like this. If people are interested, I'll try sharing more of them in the future. As I said in my first post about Vibe Coding, when you get into it, there's way more trial, error, and revision than you'd expect—and I think this process actually increases the demand for developers. Plus, I feel like the more you 'struggle' through these processes, the better your product gets. People seem to prefer success stories and dramatic tales over failure stories, but personally, I have plenty of the latter. Even though I call these 'struggles,' I learned a lot from them. I'm not sure how posts like this will be received, but if folks like it, I'll definitely keep sharing parts two and three as well.

When I quit my job and started my own business, the biggest thing I felt was a thirst for good stimulation . Thankfully, thanks to the help of many people and the flow of the times, I didn't have to worry about starving, and the company got on a stable track faster than I thought. However, my thirst for constant communication with good colleagues was not easily quenched. As a one-man business owner, I worked with several freelancers in a remote work format, so I naturally missed the relationship where we could talk comfortably and stimulate each other like coworkers . It was burdensome to hire valuable personnel just for this reason, and although I occasionally worked once a week at other companies, it was a bit different from the stimulation or inspiration I had hoped for. I tried hosting or participating in certain reading groups, but as expected, something was lacking. When I was young, I liked gathering with many people and making noise, but now I feel tired from such places. Then I thought about coaching . I had learned the skills and programs from my previous agile coaching training, so I decided to do free coaching based on them. At first, I started out without specifying the target audience, mainly targeting low-level workers and job seekers. As time went by, surprisingly, people in their 50s and 60s came to me. They were people who were preparing for the second act of their lives or were already running vigorously. One time, I met and talked with a person who builds small ships. He was running a shipyard in Geoje that specialized in small ships under 20 tons. He made hybrid ships using aluminum and fiber-reinforced plastic, which is not even known, and the way he customized the superstructure of the ship according to the ship owner’s detailed requirements was very impressive. I had seen countless ships while traveling around Busan, Incheon, and Gangneung, but I had never thought about who made the ships and how they were made. It was like getting a glimpse into a new world when I learned that these small shipyards were flexible in customizing their ships in a different way than the big ones. It was also very interesting to learn how they charge commissions and roughly how much each cost. One day, while talking to current nurses, I learned about an app called 'MyDuty'. MyDuty was a tool that helped nurses efficiently manage their complicated shift schedules and easily share them with colleagues. The biggest advantage of this app was that it allowed me to see the work schedules of colleagues in the same ward at a glance. It was a service I had never heard of even while working in the IT industry, and this app, which was created by accurately identifying the needs of a specific job group, was a great inspiration to me. It has expanded globally and is now an app that many people can't live without. Through this person who works at Mando, I learned how complex and precise the collaborative structure is needed to make a single car. Mando is a company that develops and produces core parts that are directly related to driver safety, such as braking, steering, and suspension systems. The fact that even a single car we drive every day is so closely intertwined with so many parts and companies was a very refreshing stimulus for me in the IT field, who usually works by making a single product as a whole. The manufacturing method, where individual parts are specialized and each company organically collaborates to complete the final product, showed me a completely different charm from the forms of collaboration I had experienced. Of course, I knew in my head that it was made that way, but it was even more unique when I heard the story directly from someone who actually does the work and works in the industry. As I met people from various fields through this skewer coaching, I felt that the world I see has become wider and deeper . It wasn’t just meeting people, but I felt that my perspective on the world had broadened through various lives and experiences. Sometimes, people I met would connect with each other and lead to employment, or business collaborations would begin. When I received unexpected inspiration from unexpected places, it was a great joy for me. Talking to many people eventually made me realize one thing. The world I thought I knew was so narrow, and only when we share our stories can we see a wide and colorful world. In the future, I want to meet more people through skewer coaching, weave more stories, and connect our lives more meaningfully. As I met each person, I ended up meeting them for over 100 minutes individually, not cumulatively, and this became a huge asset. It cost a lot of money for food and coffee, but I think it was worth it. I think it would be good to meet more systematically in the future, and I will end here.

Last weekend, I spent a pleasant time at the home of a couple who both served as judges and experienced various cases. Both have now put down their judicial gavels and are living as a lawyer and enjoying rural life. As the night deepened and we gathered around a bonfire, our conversation expanded from my curious and somewhat impertinent question about "whether judges are truly impartial" to how they train for and affirm this quality. Since then, I've been organizing these thoughts bit by bit, though I'm far from being a legal professional and only possess minimal legal knowledge as a citizen. The only formal legal education I ever had was a high school course called "Law and Society" in my first year. So please be generous as you read my thoughts, which are based on news articles and my own reflections. Judicial Delays Occurring Worldwide "Justice delayed is justice denied." This age-old adage is becoming reality across the world. While researching the judiciary, I noticed cases from the UK in particular. From Europe to Korea, judicial systems are suffering from case backlogs and trial delays. Especially in the UK and Europe, serious delays are occurring one after another, threatening to paralyze the entire judicial system. According to the UK Ministry of Justice, court case backlogs that were only about 48,000 in 2016 have increased to over 70,000 as of 2024. In London, a case involving a defendant who threatened someone with a knife has been scheduled for 2028, despite requiring only a three-day trial, causing significant social repercussions. Across Europe, investment in judicial systems is chronically insufficient, with the Council of Europe reporting that judicial budgets across European countries have effectively decreased over the past decade, standing at just 0.31% of GDP. In Lisbon, Portugal, frequent strikes by court employees regularly paralyze judicial proceedings. France and Spain are struggling as well... and the US has also been facing various challenges recently. Korea's judiciary is also in crisis. According to a survey by the Legal Times, Korean judges handle about five times as many cases annually as German judges and three times as many as Japanese judges. In a situation where 12 Supreme Court Justices process approximately 40,000 appeals each year, frequent rotations of judges significantly undermine case continuity and fairness. Recently, case backlogs have worsened as political issues draw attention at both the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, causing tangible harm to citizens' rights to trial and legal remedies. Well, even without such textbook statements... Replace the Judiciary with Artificial Intelligence? Although the National Assembly passed a bill last year to increase the number of judges by 370, many point out that simply increasing personnel will not solve the fundamental problems. Instead, there are growing calls for structural and efficient reform of the judicial system itself. In this context, some are now claiming that replacing judges with artificial intelligence could enable fair judgments. But this is a significant misconception. AI is more likely to amplify existing biases, and recent deep learning-based large language models operate like black boxes, making it difficult to even trace the sources of bias. Ultimately, the issue with judgment-making entities isn't their imperfection, but rather the consistency of their judgments. The most fundamental reason the judiciary exists is because we have entrusted them with authority, trusting they will deliver consistent judgments under clear principles and philosophy. However, we're increasingly seeing cases where the basic logic and philosophy of judgments are being shaken in the name of public opinion or majority views. This could be the beginning of the gradual collapse of the rule of law. Judicial Confusion Caused by Excessive Legislation One of Korea's problems is excessive legislation. Our country produces an overwhelmingly higher number of new laws annually compared to other nations. When there are too many laws, the room for interpretation narrows and various social and economic activities become constrained. Conflicts between laws occur frequently, creating the paradoxical situation where it becomes difficult for businesses and citizens to comply with the law itself. To solve this problem, what we need is rather the digitalization of the legislature. Instead of AI replacing or assisting judges, we need a system that thoroughly reviews potential conflicts between laws and their social impacts using data during the legislative stage. The current practice of supporting bills at the request of party colleagues must be improved. We might consider initially evaluating bill content objectively through blind assessment, followed by roll-call voting to enhance accountability. Ultimately, justice is not a luxury but an essential value we must preserve. Overcoming our current crisis requires fundamental and systematic reforms to maintain the consistency and independence of the judiciary, along with digitalization of the legislature to build a more transparent and efficient legal system. Nation Average number of bills introduced per member per year Total Annual Bills Proposed Proportion of Legislator-Proposed Bills (%) Proportion of Government-Proposed Bills (%) Overall Bill Pass Rate

I'd like to share that my paper was recently accepted for publication in the Korean Artificial Intelligence Association journal (https://kjai.jams.or.kr/). This paper was previously uploaded to Arxiv in pre-print form, and I ambitiously named it HEMA. In fact, the name is derived from the hippocampus, a part of the brain. The hippocampus is a structure that plays an important role in memory and learning in the brain. It is particularly crucial for remembering new facts and navigating spaces, and also participates in forming emotional memories through interaction with the amygdala. The core of this paper is research on preventing quality degradation in LLMs during long-context conversations. To explain simply, just as humans don't remember every detail of events or situations, the research stores generalized summaries as "Compact Memory" in text form. Following how humans primarily remember symbols/signals, the research preserves previous conversations in Vector DB form as "Vector Memory." In this case, it's possible to maintain context longer during extended conversations and provide a more consistent experience. This can be well-utilized in operating fiction bots, companion chatbots, etc. The experiments were conducted using a fully reproducible method with repeated testing on sLMs. Although the research is based on English, the fact that it performs well even at the 6b parameter level suggests it would work even better in already commercialized services like Claude or ChatGPT. Typically, when using Claude, conversations can become too long and need to be moved to different chats, or with ChatGPT, performance can degrade as conversations lengthen. Recently, we've seen attempts to solve this with features like "Project" or "Memory." This is similar to the previous approach of using prompts like "summarize our conversation so far" to reset before starting a new discussion. I've been continuously submitting papers to KCI and SCI, but I feel the hurdles have gotten higher. The acceptance rate isn't what it used to be. The most troublesome aspect is that while I could conduct research abundantly with company resources when I was employed, now I have to do it frugally with personal funds. I'm preparing a follow-up study on maintaining writing style while producing non-repetitive and consistent output, and I'll share those results as well when they become available.

A few years ago, when my younger brother told me he was leaving LG Electronics' robotics division to join MakinaRocks, that was probably the first time I took a close look at the robotics industry. Until then, I had used robot vacuums and robot arms, but I had never been curious about who makes them and how they work. And that interest didn't last long. As someone who had only made simple robots using Arduino for repetitive tasks or Raspberry Pi to recognize and avoid obstacles when I was young, it was honestly a bit difficult, and I was about to join Kakao Brain so I had a lot to study and couldn't think deeply about it. Then, around 2023, I saw a paper that included a demonstration of using multimodal approaches to train a robotic arm to perform specific household tasks. There have been countless such papers since, but it was very impressive at the time. Later, seeing models like Tesla's Optimus or Figure 01 made me slowly start to think that humanoids might not be completely far-fetched. In fact, if you visit manufacturing plants, robotic arms are made much more precisely than you might expect. I personally saw this at H company's shipyard in 2023, so I imagine they've developed even further by now. And there are many domestic companies doing well in this field. Humanoids are somewhat different. Robotic arms are ultimately plugged in, so they receive steady power supply and can perform complex computational calculations relatively quickly and easily. However, with humanoids, because they move completely independently, there's a lot to consider from batteries to computing power. That's why I thought it was quite a distant reality. At least until I saw Nvidia's Physical AI session in 2025. I actually started compiling this in March, but kept postponing it, so the post is coming out late. I've written it in the same format as my previous data center post. Looking at materials compiled by various consulting firms about humanoid robots, they typically divide the humanoid "fields" or "drive systems" into about 12 categories: Head, Shoulder, Elbow, Waist & Pelvis, Hands, Upper Arm, Forearm, Thigh, Calf, Feet, Battery Pack, and Others – these 12 fields. Of course, I'm still learning, so if you disagree, you're right. The market is projected to expand from approximately $3.28 billion in 2024 to $66 billion by 2032, representing an average annual growth rate of 45.5%. Additionally, manufacturing costs have plummeted by 40% in recent years, far exceeding previous projections (15-20% annual decrease), which has accelerated industrial applications and investment timing. I've examined all 12 core component categories, focusing on high-value areas to map investment potential. The Importance of Hands: Sophisticated Manipulation Drives the Value Chain The component I paid most attention to is "hands." This component costs about $9,500 per robot (17.2% of the total cost), by far the highest. As a result, a dedicated market of about $3.5 billion is expected to form by 2032. The technical difficulty of being as delicate yet robust as human hands is driving this market. Novanta Inc. (NASDAQ: NOVT): Provider of end-effector technology and multi-axis (force/torque) sensors FANUC Corporation (TYO: 6954): Manufacturer of 6-axis force sensing sensors Teradyne Inc. (NASDAQ: TER): Strengthens End-effector Solutions After Acquiring Universal Robots Shadow Robot Company: Dexterous Hand with 24 degrees of freedom, 20 drive motors, and over 100 sensors SCHUNK GmbH: Modular gripping systems Figure AI: February 2024, $675 million investment (corporate value $2.6 billion) I particularly noted multi-layer tactile sensors that mimic human skin and tendon drive systems. These two features realize more degrees of freedom in tight spaces, and the tactile sensor market is expected to reach $35.5 billion by 2030. I think these tactile sensors will be used in various applications besides humanoids. Lower Body Components: The Foundation of Mobility and Stability Thigh, calf, and foot components account for 38.6% of the total humanoid cost. The leg section, which determines the robot's "gait," presents significant investment opportunities. For thigh and calf, the market size is projected to grow rapidly from $433 million in 2024 to $8.71 billion by 2032, and the foot section connecting to the ground is expected to reach $800-900 million by 2025. Emerson Electric, Thomson Industries (Altra Industrial Motion): High-Duty Linear Actuators MISUMI Group: Precision Machinery Parts Bosch Rexroth: High-power electric actuators Agility Robotics: Actuators for Digit Biped Robots Figure AI: Next-generation lower body actuator

"I easily made $10,000 a month using AI!" "I made hundreds of millions in additional income with artificial intelligence." Every time I open Thread, Instagram, or KakaoTalk, I see a flood of brilliant success stories about making money with AI. As I read the posts that come up every day, I honestly feel more skeptical than envious. There are many people around me who study AI or develop models themselves, but ironically, those who teach AI seem to make faster and bigger profits than those who actually develop technology or build services. I have been making a living in IT for a long time, but the reality I experienced was not that dramatic. Then, starting last year, out of curiosity and fun, I started using various AI coding tools. At first, the tools I used were just for maintenance or writing small scripts, but at some point, they started bringing in unexpected profits. If we make this more systematic and purposeful, it is called 'Vibe Coding' by Andrej Karpathy. Over the past few months, I've used various AI coding tools including Cursor , Replit , Trae , V0 , Copilot , and more recently Windsurf and Lovable. Through hands-on experience, I discovered each tool has distinct characteristics and differences. I also realized these tools can be categorized into 'Cold Start' tools (advantageous for those without coding experience to quickly create prototypes) and 'Boosting' tools (ideal for those with some coding knowledge to dramatically increase productivity). Of course, it doesn't mean anything because I divided it up arbitrarily! Equipment Classification Key Features One line review Lovable Cold start Frontend, design, and backend integration automation Supabase (database) and email integration Good to use when you are an IT person and have clear ideas. Replit Cold start/boosting Browser-based development environment Deployment and auto-scaling, hosting Available as a mobile app

Imagine you go to a restaurant. In one restaurant, you get a menu, and in another restaurant, you have to talk freely with the waiter without a menu. If you have a menu, it is easy to order, but if you don't have a menu, it is difficult. On the other hand, if you have a free conversation with the waiter, the possibilities are endless, but you have to think about what to ask for and how to ask for it. The way we communicate with artificial intelligence (AI) today is also divided into these two methods. As discussed in the previous article, if there is an interface based on the LLM (Large Language Model) that focuses on efficiency and performance, there is also a need for an interface that focuses on human experience. These two approaches do not exclude each other, but can coexist in separate layers, the engine layer and the interaction layer. This article is a continuation of the article below. 1. Engine Layer: The World of Prompt Management and Model Optimization As mentioned in the previous article on fine-tuning , understanding the engine layer is essential to effectively utilize AI. This layer focuses on maximizing the performance and efficiency of generative AI. What I have discovered while supporting the introduction of AI to various companies through 3blocks.ai, which I run, is that many companies start with the simple idea of “let’s try AI,” but in reality, the introduction process is never simple. Especially in a closed network environment, it is often necessary to build the entire process from data preprocessing to model serving, rather than simply using an API. What's important in the engine layer is: Prompt management : Version and optimize your prompts like Git code with tools like PromptHub or LangSmith. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) : A technology that augments the model's response by retrieving related information, effectively connecting internal corporate data and LLM. Fine-tuning : The process of further training a model to suit a specific domain or task, and is used in specialized fields such as legal document summarization or medical record analysis. However, what I realized while looking at the system prompt of GPT-4o is that the prompt is not that complicated even in the real research field. It is embarrassing to call the degree of determining the format of how to output it 'engineering'. In the end, I think the important thing is to find an approach that is suitable for solving the actual problem rather than a flashy prompt technique. 2. Interaction Layer: User-Centered Experience Design The interaction layer, on the other hand, focuses on how users interact and work with AI. As Intel’s case shows, experience has a significant impact on AI technology adoption: 64% of those with experience would consider AI PCs for their next upgrade, while only 32% of those without experience were positive. Providing an intuitive interface is the key to making complex AI technology easily accessible to ordinary users. Just as Slack transformed the functionality of IRC into an integrated software that ordinary users can understand and use, AI interfaces also need to undergo a similar transformation. Things to note in the interaction layer: Visual Flow and Context : Designing interfaces that visually extend the user’s thinking, like Miro or Tana. Accessible UI : Intuitive buttons and menu structure instead of complex commands Maintaining context : Ongoing interactions that understand and remember the context of the user’s actions. The importance of the interaction layer is even more evident in specialized areas such as typography or logo design, such as the recently popular Ideogram AI. The interface that hides the complexity of the technology and allows you to focus on creative expression is the core of the user experience. 3. The Future of Hybrid Interfaces So how should these two layers meet? I think the ideal hybrid interface should have the following structure:

One of the most notable names in the generative AI field over the past few years has to be Meta's Llama series. This year, Meta held its first large-scale conference called LlamaCon. This conference gave us a clear glimpse into Meta's vision and future direction for AI. I've organized the insights I gained through my direct participation and shared them with you along with the official announcements. Meta AI, closer to everyday life with mobile apps One of the most eye-catching announcements at LlamaCon 2025 was the launch of the Meta AI standalone mobile app . The app is based on the latest model, Llama 4, and offers natural text and voice-based conversations, as well as image creation and editing capabilities. It also integrates with Meta’s various platform data to provide each user with a personalized Discover feed. What was especially interesting was the announcement that the app would be integrated with Ray-Ban’s smart glasses . With the ability to freely utilize AI assistants anytime, anywhere via smart glasses, Meta could be seen as truly opening up the possibilities of the wearable AI era. 1.2 Billion Downloads: The Success Formula for Open Source AI Llama's popularity has already been proven. The Llama series has achieved a whopping 1.2 billion cumulative downloads in just two years since its release. 650 million views in December 2024 1 billion views in March 2025 Recently surpassed 1.2 billion views The secret to this remarkable growth can be attributed to the open source strategy and powerful customization features adopted by Meta. It is expected that more developers and companies will jump into this open source AI ecosystem in the future. Llama API Launch: The Perfect Combination of Open Source and API One of the presentations that I was personally most excited about at this conference was the release of the Llama API , which was released in limited preview form to allow developers to easily call and customize Llama models. Python and Typescript SDK support Fully compatible with OpenAI SDK Partnering with Cerebras and Groq to provide a fast inference environment Fine-tuning is possible with your own data One thing Meta emphasizes in particular is that custom models and their weights created by developers are fully owned by users, which is being received as an important message about data and model sovereignty. Expanding the Enterprise Environment of Llama Stack Meta announced an expansion of its collaboration with global companies such as NVIDIA NeMo, IBM, Red Hat, and Dell to develop Llama Stack into an enterprise-grade AI solution . This partnership aims to enable companies to easily operate Llama in various environments. This is expected to be of great interest, especially in financial, medical, and public institutions that require security, performance, and cost efficiency. I recently saw the following news and thought that this might be part of this behavior. Building an open source AI ecosystem that even cares about security One of the biggest concerns when using an open source model is security issues. In this announcement, Meta unveiled a number of security tools to address these concerns.

I wrote the above article because I was impressed by Google's challenge in the past, and there are often people who ask me, "What is Google doing?" After thinking about it, I think that Gemma3 or Gemini would be somewhat difficult to experience unless you are using an existing model, creating something with an API, or using a studio. So, I recently recommended the following site. As the name suggests, it is like a Google laboratory. https://labs.google/ "Slang Hang": Speaking Naturally Like a Local When learning a foreign language, you usually learn textbook-like sentences first. However, local people sometimes use slang or colloquial expressions naturally, unlike what is in the textbook. This is what is called "slang practice." In this experiment, you can naturally learn how conversations actually flow by watching the actual conversation flow of local people one message at a time. You can learn vivid expressions by following the conversations between street vendors and customers or the conversations of friends you haven't seen in a long time on the subway. New words learned with the camera "Word Cam" The "Word Cam" feature allows you to take pictures of objects around you, and the AI will recognize the objects in the pictures and label them with the language it is learning. For example, if you know the word "window" but not the word "blind," you can learn additional expressions related to blinds with just one picture. Career Dreamer designs career journeys and recommends related jobs What I'm talking about now is only a very small part, and if you go to Google's Labs and AI Studio, you can see various prototypes and cases that utilize Gemini's multimodality. It seems like everyone only likes OpenAI, Claude, and Deepseek, so I'm sharing this once to show that Google is also doing very, very well.

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) experiment , one of the hottest controversies in the United States recently, has effectively come to an end. Now Musk has declared that he will return to his main business, Tesla and xAI . What does this declaration mean, and what achievements and controversies has DOGE left behind so far? 🚩 What is DOGE and why was it created? One of Elon Musk’s most prominent promises during his presidential campaign was to “reduce government inefficiency .” To that end, he created an unprecedented new organization within the government. It was called the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE) . Yes, the name was also a play on his famous “Dogecoin.” His initial promises were impressive. He promised a whopping $2 trillion in government budget cuts, and was met with applause from many supporters. However, this promise soon ran into real problems. 📉 The gap between expectations and reality: Are the promised results being achieved? A website called Wall of Receipts was launched to verify whether DOGE actually performed . It was said that Musk's savings would be transparently disclosed. However, the reality was different. The initial $2 trillion target was reduced to $1 trillion in just a few months, and then abruptly lowered to $150 billion. Confidence was hit hard as miscalculations and information inaccuracies continued to surface in the published receipts . Eventually, the media and experts questioned DOGE's performance. In particular, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Treasury Inspector General (OIG) began a full-scale investigation, and although the exact results have not yet been released, the prevailing analysis is that the actual savings are likely to be much less than the announced amount . ⚖️ Two perspectives on DOGE Opinions on DOGE are sharply divided at the moment. Positive view : This is the view that Musk's attempt itself was meaningful. It is an evaluation that it made us look back on the extravagant government spending and inefficient administration, even if only a little. In particular, young voters and Musk fans evaluate that he raised issues that the existing political circles did not dare to do. Critical view : On the other hand, from a negative perspective, DOGE is seen as having caused even greater confusion and distrust with “unrealistic goals” and “inaccurate numbers.” The gap between promises and reality was too big, and criticisms that the important national budget issue was treated lightly are typical. Personally, I'm curious about this. Would this constitute fraud for the US government? Would it be considered breach of trust for the founders and managers of Tesla and xAI? I was curious, so I looked up the US federal law and each state law, and the requirements for fraud are as follows. If I apply these requirements to DOGE, it would be like this. This should be revealed in the GAO‧OIG report or hearing, but they say that a decision will be made by August 2025 at the earliest, or by the end of 2025 at the latest, so I guess I'll have to wait a while... Judging factors Legal Requirements (USA) DOGE Status ① Whether it is a false fact Objectively incorrect numbers must be presented. Numerous calculation errors were confirmed, including unit errors such as '800 million → 8 billion' and misunderstandings about contract types. ② Intent or recklessness Whether the presenter knew or could have known that it was a lie and ignored it

A word that appears very frequently on YouTube these days is "brain science." It seems like a very attractive concept to understand the scientific principles of the brain and optimize your life through life hacking, but I don't really have a good sense of how far it is actually possible. Around 2019, I was promoting a book called Make Time to people around me, and I remembered a lot of the content in the book. I gave a summary of the book to people around me, and the response was good at the time. Then, after a long time, I listened to Jake Knapp's overseas podcast, and although I didn't know much about brain science, there was a recommended routine based on the endocrine system, hormones, and brain characteristics. When we usually think of "time management," most people think of a to-do list. However, a truly efficient day is not simply about getting things done, but about living in accordance with the natural rhythms of our brains and bodies . So today, based on the latest brain science research and reliable data, I'm going to create the most ideal daily schedule with you. We'll look at the scientific reasons why we do certain things at certain times to be most efficient. 🌙 Night: Getting enough sleep is the beginning of everything (23:00 – 06:00) Our brain performs its most important tasks when we sleep: organizing memories and removing brain waste products (such as beta-amyloid) . Getting at least seven hours of sleep improves memory, concentration, and creativity, and has a “brain-cleansing” effect that removes toxins from the brain. It is recommended to block blue light from smartphones and other sources for at least an hour before going to bed to avoid interfering with the secretion of melatonin, a sleep hormone. ✨ Practice tip : Put your smartphone away an hour before bedtime, and instead end your day with light stretching or meditation. 🌅 Morning: Golden time to wake up your brain (06:00 – 09:00) The first 30 minutes after waking up in the morning is when cortisol levels spike and our brains work at their fastest and clearest. Exposure to sunlight during this time can reset your brain’s biological clock and help you start your day on a positive note. Getting some sunlight and doing some light stretching right after waking up will help you feel better and stay focused throughout the day. Find direction for your day with simple self-improvement (reading, planning, meditation). ✨ Practical tip : As soon as you wake up in the morning, open the curtains, sit by the window and take 5 minutes to soak up the sunlight while taking deep breaths. You will experience amazing results. 🚀 Morning work focus time (09:00 – 12:00) Our brains are at their peak of focus twice a day, the first of which is in the morning. Therefore, scheduling your most challenging or creative tasks of the day during this time will help you be more productive[^4]. During your focused time, stick to a 90-minute work-10-minute break cycle[^4]. It is best to block out external contact in the morning to avoid being disturbed as much as possible. ✨ Practical tip : Turn off messenger notifications for 2-3 hours in the morning and put your smartphone away for a while. You will be able to experience true immersion. 🍽️ Recharge your energy after lunch (12:00 – 15:00)

Recently, I started teaching a machine learning course at a university. I am used to giving special lectures or public lectures, but this is my first time teaching a 15-week regular course for undergraduates, masters, and doctoral students, so I am looking at various materials to find more effective teaching methods. Among them, I would like to share with you three teaching methods that I found particularly impressive. They are Shaping, Chaining, and Chunking. I am teaching two classes, and I am learning more while teaching than I thought. It is a great opportunity. Although it is a concurrent position... It is also new to hear the word "professor." 1. Shaping: Show the overall flow and have them follow it. Shaping is a way to demonstrate an entire flow or process from beginning to end and have students emulate it. This can be very effective in machine learning classes. For example, when I first teach students the logistic regression model, I first demonstrate the entire workflow with a simple example. I organize it so that students can see everything at a glance, from data preprocessing to model training and evaluation, so that they can intuitively understand the entire process. After that, it is more effective to have students perform the same process on their own and provide immediate feedback on problems that arise during the process. 2. Chaining: Connecting complex processes step by step Chaining is a method of breaking down a complex task into several small steps, learning each step clearly, and then gradually connecting the entire process. This is especially effective in fields with many complex processes, such as machine learning. For example, in the case of building a neural network model, data preprocessing, model design, learning, and evaluation stages are taught separately, and when students understand these individual stages well, the entire process is connected as a complete pipeline. In particular, by first showing the final evaluation results and then using the reverse chaining method, which approaches in reverse order "what steps were there to get this result," students' learning motivation and understanding can be further increased. 3. Chunking: Learn complex concepts by breaking them down into smaller pieces. Chunking is a method of breaking down complex tasks or concepts into small, manageable units, learning them individually, and then recombining them to complete the whole. It can also be very usefully applied in machine learning. For example, when teaching support vector machines (SVMs), I divide the detailed elements such as the concept explanation, the meaning and function of the kernel, and the actual code implementation into "chunks" and deal with them individually, and then let the students try to build the entire model when they have a sufficient understanding of these chunks. This way, the students can easily accept the complex content and develop a clear understanding and practical ability for each step. And as I've been teaching, I've realized that there are more education and welfare programs for professors than I thought, and even more capacity building programs. Most of them are free and of high quality, so I think it's good. Of course, the only schools I've applied to are Kookmin University and Korea University, so I don't know about other universities, but it was amazing to meet professors who were completely different from when I was a student. The midterm exam period is already over, and now it's finals. I just found out that exam periods are hard not only for students, but also for professors... I wish I hadn't hated professors so much when I was an undergraduate.

Recently, I saw an article that Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Division (DS) has introduced Meta's latest large-scale language model (LLM) , LLaMA4 , to the entire organization. Personally, why did they choose LLaMA4, which is surrounded by performance controversies and even suspicions of benchmark manipulation ? Samsung Electronics DS Selection and Its Background The LLaMA4 introduced by Samsung Electronics is a multimodal AI consisting of Scout (lightweight model) and Maverick (basic model) . It is known as an excellent model that can process not only documents but also images, voices, and videos at once. In addition, it provides an overwhelming context length of 10M tokens, so it seems to be very attractive to Samsung, which handles large-scale data such as semiconductor process data. However, it is questionable whether this choice was actually the best. If we look at some realistic reasons, there are some regrettable points. Performance and Benchmark Reliability Controversy LLaMA4 has been the subject of controversy over its performance since its release. Some researchers and the developer community have raised suspicions that the benchmark model submitted by LLaMA4 differs from the actual published weights. There was even a revelation from an internal employee that "there was excessive adjustment to increase the benchmark score." This controversy is a serious issue that companies must consider when handling important business data. For a company like Samsung, where process optimization and reliability are essential, it is hard to shake the feeling that this was a rather risky decision. In fact, I personally think that the introduction of LLaMA4 was simply an option for employees, but the media is exaggerating the issue. More efficient alternatives: the existence of Gemma3 QAT In fact, there were alternatives on the market that showed excellent performance and efficiency in addition to LLaMA4. For example, Gemma3 QAT (27B) is evaluated as a model that shows excellent performance even with relatively small hardware resources. Of course, considering that QAT itself is an LLM that can run smoothly even with general consumer-level computing power... It seems a shame to pay for Maverick. A company as big as Samsung would probably use a paid model rather than a community version. (After all... Mr. Don) Item Llama 4 Scout (109 B/17 B Active) Gemma 3 27B QAT Multimodal Simultaneous processing of text, images, voice, and video Text/Image (Voice X) Context length 10 M tokens (Maverick 1 M) 128K tokens Inference speed 120 tps (FP8, H100 1 sheet) 20-25 tps (INT4, RTX A5000)

"Fancy documentation pages with flashy color palettes and animations are a thing of the past (Tired). Instead, a simple single Markdown (.md) file and a single 'copy to clipboard' button are the new normal (Wired)." The reason I resonated deeply with Kapasi’s writing recently is simple: the primary target audience for the products, services, and libraries we create is no longer people, but artificial intelligence. The Coming of the LLM Era: The Rise of Machine-Friendly Interfaces As anyone who has recently used the collaborative work function ('Work with') provided by OpenAI's MCP (Model Context Protocol) or ChatGPT's desktop app will have noticed, the UI is much more effective when it is easy for machines to understand rather than people, that is, LLMs. This is a trend that redefines the traditional concept of User Experience (UX). For a long time, we have been creating UIs optimized for people with beautiful interfaces and friendly explanations. But now, things are different. More and more things are being done by LLMs or agents instead of people. Why does LLM hate UI for humans? It's clear why LLMs shy away from complex and flashy interfaces for people. LLM wants to scrape, not explore. It needs simple, clear text structures rather than complex menus or navigation. LLM prefers text over visual stimuli. Information is presented more effectively in concise text than through animations or videos. LLM likes Curls, not Clicks. It prefers direct access to data provided in API form rather than following links and clicking. These characteristics become increasingly important as LLMs become more and more commercialised in a wider range of fields and become deeply embedded in our daily lives. New challenges for product developers and service providers It is now time for developers and service providers to make their products and services LLM-friendly, which requires a fundamental change in the UI. All features should be expressed as concisely as possible in text-based terms. Data must be presented clearly, either as an API or in minimal documentation format. You should actively utilize simple formats such as Markdown to organize information in a structure that is easy for LLMs to understand. Back to the age of text? Technological advancements always happen faster than expected, and this LLM-centric interface change will also come to us quickly. Considering that protocols like MCP and LLM-friendly functions are becoming more and more standard, it is necessary to reorganize the way products and services are provided even now. I wrote the above article a while ago, and it seems to be approaching quickly. If your product is going to survive into the future, it needs to transform into something that 'LLMs love'. It needs to be simple, efficient, and easily accessible. Take a look at your product, service, or library now and think about it. "Now, if my main customer is LLM (AI), how should this function change?"

Recently, Twitter (X) founder Jack Dorsey and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have been making headlines by calling for the abolition of intellectual property (IP) . When Dorsey made the radical suggestion that “all IP laws should be abolished,” Musk simply responded, “I agree.” Since both are considered icons of innovation, their comments caused quite a stir. Their claims are too significant to be dismissed as mere “flashy remarks.” What is the real intention behind the argument for relaxing/abolishing IP laws? Jack Dorsey and Elon Musk have a clear reason for calling for the abolition of the intellectual property system. They criticize that the IP system does not promote creativity and innovation, but rather encourages monopolies and abuse of rights, thereby denying creators fair compensation. Musk has previously said, “Patents are for the weak,” and has disclosed Tesla’s electric car patents. Jack Dorsey also supports open source projects like Blue Sky, believing that the openness and sharing of technology leads to innovation. Their argument ultimately raises the following question: "Is it really in the public interest to continue to recognize the right to monopolize knowledge and technology?" Democratization of Information and Knowledge: A Debate That Has Existed in the Past In fact, this is not the first time this discussion has taken place. There have been cases in the past that showed how explosive innovation and growth can occur when knowledge and technology are not monopolized by a certain class but are open to everyone. Search Engine (Google) : Google, which collected and provided a large amount of content on the web without permission, initially had a controversy over copyright issues, but eventually opened the way for mankind to obtain vast amounts of information immediately thanks to the concept of "Fair Use." Recently, the Book3 project and various media companies are also in copyright lawsuits with AI companies due to similar lawsuits. Wi-Fi technology : The government opened up the wireless frequency so that anyone could use it, and the technology standards were made open source, so now we can connect to the Internet anywhere. When you were young, you know the fear of pressing the center button on your phone by mistake and getting a huge bill? That fear has disappeared these days. When I think about it now, I realize how unfair it was. Open source software (Linux, Apache, etc.) : Let's make the source code public and share it freely. Despite initial criticism, it eventually led to innovation and development in the global software industry. All of these cases show the lesson that innovation can occur more quickly only when knowledge and technology are open . On the other hand, there are historical cases where excessive monopoly rights have hindered technological progress, such as the 'red flag laws' that hindered automobile innovation in 19th century Britain or the Wright brothers' patent wars in the early 20th century. But how will we solve the problem of creator protection? The argument for abolishing intellectual property rights is attractive, but there are also many practical concerns. Without IP protection, creators and innovative companies may not receive fair compensation, which may reduce their motivation to create and invest. The arts, in particular, are already suffering from the problem of AI absorbing creative works without permission. In fact, what they are saying is not to eliminate copyright altogether, but to allow free use and provide proper compensation. Musk and Jack Dorsey did not say, "Let's just get rid of intellectual property rights!" but rather that the relevant laws are too much of a hindrance to technological development. Copyright law relaxation/abolitionists like them propose the following methods. Compulsory License : A method that allows the use of copyrighted works without the consent of the rights holder if certain conditions are met, but requires compensation at a set rate to be paid to the copyright holder. Revenue sharing model : This is a method of sharing a portion of the revenue generated by the AI model with the data provider (creator). In fact, some companies are already adopting this method. Shortening and flexibilizing the term of IP protection : This is a way to make knowledge available to the public domain more quickly by shortening the term of IP protection. Expanding government and public support : This is a plan to have the government or public institutions compensate for creative activities themselves, thereby releasing creative works into the public domain. These compromises are realistic approaches that ensure fair compensation for creators while allowing more people to access knowledge and technology. In fact, some of them are being applied on YouTube, TikTok, etc., such as allowing the original creator to receive revenue even if certain music is used without permission, or requiring unauthorized users to notify viewers and limit revenue. Where will intellectual property rights go in the AI era? The future of the intellectual property system ultimately comes down to this question.

After writing the above post, I received many questions from people. People who are executives or managers, not individuals, or who are running a one-man business and doing various things at the same time. In the early days of technology, it was common for organizations to have a clear choice between developing software themselves (in-house development) or developing it through an external development company (SI). This was a relatively simple choice structure, but it often caused confusion and difficulties in the development management and maintenance process. Recently, as the technology environment centered on platforms and clouds has developed, the possibility of more flexible linking and utilization of different technologies and services has opened up. However, this free combination method poses new challenges to the integration and management of each technology, and requires more meticulous coordination and management capabilities than before. Division Before AI Introduction After AI Introduction Marketing Operations Production/analysis, strategy/creative and other roles are separated and operated independently. The boundaries between IT and the business are blurring, and the scope is becoming broader and more complex. Strategy and Creative There are many restrictions, and the pace of experimentation and trials is slow. AI removes constraints and enables faster, broader creative experimentation Key Message Each role is clearly divided and limited operations are focused on efficiency. AI makes entire organizations more agile and accelerates creative strategy execution In this process, the technology barrier is gradually lowering. In the past, IT professionals exclusively managed technology tools, but now, thanks to the advancement of low-code, no-code, and AI-based automation technologies, technology can be easily utilized by non-experts. Now, the ability to utilize technology is becoming an essential competency across the entire organization, not just the IT department. The key concept here is Martec's Law. Martec's Law is a law that states that technological change progresses exponentially, while organizational change progresses very slowly. Organizations should be aware of this gap and selectively adopt technologies in line with the organization's strategy and goals, rather than blindly accepting all technologies, and increase agility. Now, the AI technology environment is not just a tool for increasing efficiency, but a foundation for creative strategies and experiments. Organizations must recognize this new possibility and provide members with sufficient autonomy and opportunities for experimentation so that they can implement creative and innovative strategies without being too immersed in technology. In addition, technology-driven operations are increasingly becoming more complex and unpredictable. The ability to orchestrate digital operations is essential to harmoniously operate various AI-based agents and tools. Just as a conductor tunes various instruments, the ability to efficiently integrate various technologies and AI tools to meet the organization’s goals is required. Now planning and execution will happen simultaneously. Shift from the early, clear technology choices (build vs. buy) to platforms and hybrid models

Since I started blogging in the early 2010s, I have constantly been thinking about how to monetize my content. At first, I made money by writing advertisements or sponsored articles through Google AdSense or blog experience groups. However, after I started working, I started to focus more on the records themselves rather than on the profits. However, around 2020, the number of newsletters exploded, especially overseas, and an atmosphere of “willing to pay for good articles” was formed. I followed that trend and published a paid newsletter, gaining tens of thousands of subscribers, and in the process, I even had the experience of publishing a book. Of course, it wasn’t easy to make a huge profit as much as I put in the time and effort. Nevertheless, I continued to write because I liked writing and recording my experiences. This trend is well known overseas as Substack . When you first post, there is no special cost, and when a paid subscription occurs, the platform takes a portion of the subscription fee (about 10%). This is a structure that is not burdensome when you start, but has the disadvantage that the 10% commission becomes significant when the number of subscribers increases significantly. That is why the 'flat rate model' that pays a monthly fee, such as Ghost or Beehiiv, is popular recently. Since the amount to be paid to the platform is fixed or increases only in stages even when the number of subscribers increases, it has the advantage of "the more profit, the more I take." In fact, you can find similar trends in Korea. For example, there are newsletter publishing services such as Stibee and Mailly , and the fee system varies depending on the size of the sending, and in the case of paid newsletters, a separate fee is charged. Since each platform has slightly different functions, templates, and reader analysis tools, it is a good idea to look at the items below when deciding which service to choose. First, the ‘size’ and ‘expected number of readers’ of the newsletter (or blog) I will publish. Second, how technically involved do I want to be in the setup and how much convenience do I want to be provided? Third, does the platform fit with my values or operating philosophy (political/social issues, community policies, etc.)? In fact, no matter what newsletter or paid content platform you choose, I think the power of the content itself is ultimately the most important. In my case, as I wrote and met readers, my personal brand was naturally formed, and I met people who supported me for a long time. These people are the driving force that allows me to continue writing. Also, even if I didn't make a lot of money at first, I felt rewarded enough just by the satisfaction I got from recording the record itself, and when I looked back later, I felt like I had left behind these experiences. Of course, in order to systematically increase profits, you have to carefully consider economic aspects such as platform commission rates and monthly subscriptions. Looking at overseas cases, there are writers who say that their profits improved when they moved from Substack to other platforms (Ghost, Behive, etc.) even though the number of subscribers did not increase significantly. Since a 10% continuous commission is not easy, it may be more profitable to pay a certain amount and take all the remaining profits. Platform Pricing Structure Types Is there a free plan available? Paid Plan Starting Price Fee Policy Behive Flat rate (Based on number of subscribers) Yes $49/month (Less than 1,000 people) No fees Ghost Flat rate (Based on number of subscribers)

This is a simple and clear process that goes from problem recognition to goal setting and implementation based on the three key questions (WHY, WHAT, HOW) that are often mentioned when establishing a “Strategy.” It’s good that I’ve organized it like this instead of just talking about it, and it’s become clear to me. This is something I often talk about at the beginning of a workshop program, so I thought it would be good to share it. The first question that comes to mind when thinking about strategy When you say “Strategy,” many people think of a grand and complicated process. There are various frameworks, such as management scholar Michael Porter’s five competitive factors model, value chain analysis, and the BCG matrix. However, overly complicated tools and theories can actually reduce execution ability or cause important issues to be missed. Ultimately, a good strategy depends on how clearly you define the three questions of “Why is change necessary (WHY), what should we go for (WHAT), and what actions should we take to achieve that goal (HOW)” and how you prepare specific implementation plans. In some ways, this seems simple, but in fact, it is the essence and core. ⸻ WHY change? Why change? In the current situation, why change? The starting point for strategy development is problem recognition. You need to look at the current situation (“Current”) of your organization or team and start with the questions, “What exactly is the problem?” and “Why is this problem important?” A strategy without consensus on the 'problem' is dangerous. For example, if there are members who think that “it’s not a big deal” even though the market share is falling, it is difficult for the organization to establish a strategy. “Why is this problem serious?” must be defined first, and only then will all members agree on the “need for change.” Example: If a startup experiences a sharp increase in the churn rate of its app users, the severity of the problem should be shared by all internal members by specifically explaining the potential risks and financial losses that this churn rate would cause. Criteria and sources for defining the problem The important thing here is that the problem must be verified through data or objective indicators. It is easier to build consensus and a sense of urgency among members when it is based on ‘facts’ rather than ‘feelings.’ Source examples: recent customer interviews, user experience (UX) research, market research, financial reports, etc. Statistics: For example, if there are statistics that say that more than 90% of startups worldwide will fail within 5 years in 2023 (source: CB Insights report, etc.), the problem can become clearer under the premise that “we cannot be an exception.” WHAT is winning? What does the 'future' we want to achieve look like? The second is the goal setting stage. If the “problem we need to solve” has become clear through WHY, now we need to draw a concrete picture of “what kind of future is the ideal state (Winning) that we think of?” This determines the organization’s vision (Ambition), direction, and a kind of “North Star.” Set visible and specific goals You may be thinking, “Isn’t a vision that is too big and abstract useless?” However, setting a specific vision is important because it provides a reference point for decision-making and prioritization. Example: “Achieve 30% domestic market share within 2 years” has specific numbers and time frames. This makes it clear which projects to allocate resources to first and which features to prioritize. Presenting a vision of the future and building consensus A vision cannot simply be “written down in an internal document and left behind.” It must be something that members can feel the value of the goal and be convinced of, “Is this really achievable?”