Vapi

I made a pretty questionable choice at our Halloween party. We had the whole team there. People showed up in ridiculous costumes, the office looked chaotic in a fun way, and the night had that early-stage energy where everyone is just comfortable being themselves. My costume… wasn’t the best call. I didn’t think much of it while we were all hanging out, but the next morning it hit me that it probably landed the wrong way for a few people. That feeling stayed with me on the walk into all-hands. So I brought it up. I told the team I shouldn’t have worn it and that I was sorry. It wasn’t a big moment, but it felt necessary. Early teams remember these things - the wins, the mess-ups, the jokes that become inside jokes. These small stories turn into the company’s early lore, and they quietly influence how the culture forms as the team grows. This will probably be one of those stories. I made a mistake, I owned it, and we kept going. And somehow, it brought everyone a bit closer.

I ambushed my co-founder - Nikhil with disco lights, capes, and an arm-wrestle because I had to assert my dominance as CEO. A few months ago at an offsite, I’d already arm-wrestled two or three people and was exhausted and somehow Nikhil beat me. One accidental win. One moment of weakness. And he has held it over my head ever since. So I decided the rematch had to be dramatic. I told Maibri (our culture manager) that I wanted a full production. We got capes, disco lights, walk-in music - the whole absurd setup. The moment Nikhil walked into all-hands, I handed him a cape and said, “We’re doing this right now.” And finally I took my win back. Balance was restored. It was funny when Nikhil looked at me mid-chaos and asked, “Are we celebrating something?” Nope. Not at all. I totally believe these ridiculous, unnecessary, slightly unhinged moments end up becoming the early culture. They turn into inside jokes. They give people stories to tell. They make the team feel like they’re building something human, not just executing tasks. So I staged an arm-wrestle to assert my dominance. But also because shared memories matter more than perfect playbooks. If anything, I’m planning to do something equally unnecessary every month.