SAURABH SAHA

SAURABH SAHA's Substack explores the intersections of technology, product development, entrepreneurship, and politics, with a critical lens on societal norms and practices. It offers insights into strategy, leadership, and innovation while questioning educational systems, workplace cultures, and the impacts of marketing. The content varies from personal experiences to analyses of broader social and economic issues.

Technology Product Development Entrepreneurship Politics Strategy Leadership Innovation Educational Systems Workplace Culture Marketing and Advertising Societal and Economic Issues

The hottest Substack posts of SAURABH SAHA

And their main takeaways

Product Thinking- Myth vs Reality

0 implied HN points • 14 Feb 20
  1. Product thinking involves understanding customer needs deeply and solving them effectively.
  2. Product thinking requires focusing on the demand side rather than just the supply side.
  3. To cultivate product thinking, it is essential to go beyond data and empathize with customers to grasp their behaviors and needs.

The Recruitment Fiasco

0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 20
  1. The post is about a recruitment fiasco.
  2. The author recommends reading David Foster Wallace's writings on Brainpickings.
  3. The post is for paid subscribers only.

Far From The Maddening Crowd

0 implied HN points • 17 Oct 20
  1. The blog is about adventures in Uttar Pradesh in the social sector for almost a year.
  2. It's not related to the movie with a similar title but focuses on personal experiences.
  3. The content is for paid subscribers only and offers insights into the author's time in Uttar Pradesh.
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Product Entrepreneur vs Product Manager

0 implied HN points • 04 Oct 20
  1. Product Entrepreneur differs from Product Manager.
  2. Bootcamps provide networking opportunities in the entrepreneurial world.
  3. Paid subscription required to access full post.

Stop Chewing Silicon Valley Garbage

0 implied HN points • 20 Jun 20
  1. Be cautious of blindly emulating everything from Silicon Valley without understanding the cultural context and relevance in your own environment.
  2. Focus on understanding your customers deeply and their evolving needs, rather than just following trendy practices like shipping code daily.
  3. Realize that innovation is not limited to Silicon Valley, and countries like Israel, Estonia, and China are also leading in cutting-edge advancements.

Decoding Human Behaviour

0 implied HN points • 09 Mar 20
  1. Human behavior is complex and can't be fully understood with limited data points.
  2. Childhood experiences and external stimuli shape a major part of human behavior.
  3. Understanding human behavior requires deep research in neuroscience and consciousness.

Indian Education System-A Joke

0 implied HN points • 07 Mar 20
  1. The Indian education system has historically focused on rote learning and grades, rather than fostering curiosity and understanding.
  2. The emphasis on grades has created a divide among students, categorizing them based on academic performance rather than individual talents.
  3. There is a need for a major overhaul in the Indian education system to shift focus towards problem-solving, conceptual understanding, and real-world skills.

Education As A Commodity(EaaC)

0 implied HN points • 27 Feb 20
  1. Education is being commoditized due to forces of capitalism, impacting its purpose and quality.
  2. Many professionals fall victim to courses promising quick upskilling without tangible outcomes or relevant skills.
  3. Subject matter expertise and specialization are crucial for success in careers, highlighting the importance of acquiring real-world problem-solving skills.

The Indian Career Conundrum

0 implied HN points • 04 Feb 20
  1. Career growth in the technology industry can stagnate in middle management, prompting the need for strategic moves like changing companies or exploring internal job postings for progression.
  2. Historically, Indian professionals followed a traditional career path in the software industry, which provided stability but lacked focus on innovation and excellence.
  3. In today's innovation economy, skills are constantly evolving and individuals must be proactive in understanding and developing the necessary skills to stay relevant and succeed in their careers.

The Indian Tech Recruitment Conundrum

0 implied HN points • 01 Jan 20
  1. Technology recruitment in India faces challenges due to lack of basic skills in engineering graduates.
  2. Traditional recruitment processes involve multiple rounds like resume sorting, phone screens, and in-person interviews.
  3. Current tools and platforms in tech recruitment, including AI and competitive assessments, have limitations in accurately assessing coding competency.

The Leadership Gene

0 implied HN points • 13 Dec 19
  1. Leadership can be both taught and innate, and goes beyond textbook definitions.
  2. Approachable and fun leadership style can help build trust and engagement with employees.
  3. A true leader practices transparency, empathy, mentors team members, takes risks, and is committed to a cause.

Newsletter Signup

0 implied HN points • 10 Aug 19
  1. The post is promoting a newsletter signup by Saurabh Saha.
  2. Readers are encouraged to share the post via Facebook, email, or other methods.
  3. The signup form includes fields for first name and email address.

What's my true calling?

0 implied HN points • 30 Dec 19
  1. Finding your true calling is important for personal fulfillment and avoiding regrets.
  2. Many successful people have grappled with discovering their true calling.
  3. Exploring different subjects and passions can lead to self-realization and creativity.

Eradicating Poverty

0 implied HN points • 29 Aug 19
  1. Creating an ecosystem with small, micro, and civil society firms can help eradicate poverty.
  2. Encouraging entrepreneurship, especially among women, can generate employment and empower communities.
  3. Using an incubation model focused on mentorship, market connection, and funding can support the growth of micro enterprises and aid in eradicating poverty.

The Micro Industry Finance Conundrum

0 implied HN points • 02 Sep 19
  1. Accessing finance for micro enterprises in India is extremely challenging due to various barriers like collateral requirements and bureaucratic processes.
  2. Micro entrepreneurs in regions like Eastern UP face significant difficulties in obtaining loans or grants from traditional funding sources like banks, NABARD, and micro finance companies.
  3. The lack of a sound funding mechanism for micro enterprises hinders their growth potential, impacting the overall economic development of India.

My Top 10 Business Books Of The Year 2018

0 implied HN points • 08 Aug 19
  1. Biz Stone's biography 'Things A Little Bird Told Me' is a must-read for business enthusiasts.
  2. Yuval Noah Harari's books 'Sapiens' and 'Homodeus' provide deep insights into history and psychology.
  3. Sean Ellis' 'Hacking Growth' demystifies the concept of growth hacking and is a valuable read.

The Career Conundrum

0 implied HN points • 09 Aug 19
  1. Choosing a career path can be confusing, especially in tech or management fields.
  2. There are diverse job opportunities in the tech industry beyond coding, like product management.
  3. Education systems should focus on helping students discover and develop their interests and strengths.

YCombinator-The Innovation Guru

0 implied HN points • 03 Oct 20
  1. YCombinator is a leading force in the tech startup ecosystem.
  2. YC has an innovative business model for investing in startups.
  3. YC's economic model has been highly successful and impactful.

The Learn-It-Yourself University

0 implied HN points • 08 Aug 19
  1. Learning on your own through books and online resources can lead to deep knowledge in tech and business.
  2. Attending events, seminars, and interacting with people help broaden perspectives and enhance learning pragmatism.
  3. Traveling, running startups, and teaching are valuable experiences that provide hands-on learning and practical insights.

Chronicles of Ravi Kumar

0 implied HN points • 27 Feb 20
  1. Ravi Kumar's journey showcases the chaos and challenges in the Indian job market, with recruiters often overlooking talent and focusing on trivial factors.
  2. The lack of clarity in job roles leads to mismatched responsibilities, with non-technical individuals often handling technical tasks and vice versa.
  3. The Indian software industry needs to prioritize innovation, proper talent recruitment, and skill development to avoid becoming a 'workforce of bots'.

The Indian Startup Circus

0 implied HN points • 01 Feb 20
  1. Successful entrepreneurs were experts in finance and accounting, tracking every dollar spent.
  2. Great entrepreneurs focused on customer delight, making sure to create a 'wow factor' for their audience.
  3. Successful entrepreneurs valued hiring smart individuals, brainstorming based on facts, and taking organizational culture seriously.

Where the hell did Innovation go?

0 implied HN points • 29 Jan 20
  1. Creativity is about unleashing new ideas, while innovation is about implementing change in stable systems.
  2. Innovation thrives in companies that focus on customer delight and have a culture that embraces and learns from failure.
  3. Effective leadership, a customer-centric approach, learning from failures, and creating the right conditions are essential for fostering innovation.

What about Customer Centricity?

0 implied HN points • 30 Dec 19
  1. Customer centricity is essential for success in business, going beyond just fulfilling needs to focusing on customer delight.
  2. Successful entrepreneurs like Sam Walton, Steve Jobs, and Tony Hsieh emphasized the importance of customer centricity in their businesses.
  3. Companies like Walmart, Apple, Zappos, and Amazon exemplify customer centricity through exceptional customer service and experiences.

How do I get a job?

0 implied HN points • 21 Nov 19
  1. Engineering education in India lacks practical application and real-world knowledge, focusing too much on theoretical aspects.
  2. Indian engineering students often lack problem-solving skills and technical competence due to outdated curriculums and inadequate guidance.
  3. To excel in the tech industry, engineers need to focus on building practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and passion for technology.

The 25k Bucks Entrepreneurial Question

0 implied HN points • 10 Aug 19
  1. Surviving as an entrepreneur with a limited budget requires resourcefulness and smart money management.
  2. Bootstrapped entrepreneurs face unique challenges and need to carefully navigate financial constraints.
  3. Running a startup in India in the initial stages is tough due to uncertainties around making money and lack of support.

Sales- The Bete Noire of the Intelligentsia

0 implied HN points • 28 Aug 19
  1. Sales is a crucial part of any organization, driving revenue and holding the company together.
  2. Sales is a profession that requires intelligence and knowledge, dispelling the myth that it's only for 'losers'.
  3. Sales is inherently about customer empathy and satisfaction, not just pushing products, making it a vital aspect of any business.

That Thing called Growth

0 implied HN points • 08 Aug 19
  1. Growth in startups is often misunderstood and incorrectly attributed to product issues.
  2. Building a growth organization involves a structured approach with growth sprints and analysis of metrics.
  3. To achieve sustainable growth, businesses need to focus on high effort, high impact work and shift from a traditional organizational structure to a growth-focused one.

The art and science of learning programming

0 implied HN points • 20 Jun 21
  1. Experience in coding is crucial for learning programming effectively.
  2. Building things and fixing bugs is a key way self-taught programmers learn coding.
  3. Learning programming is an experiential skill that requires solving real-world problems.

Entrepreneurship:Myth vs Reality

0 implied HN points • 22 Jul 20
  1. Entrepreneurship has many myths that can mislead new entrepreneurs.
  2. It's important to have a realistic understanding of what entrepreneurship entails.
  3. Experience and knowledge sharing among entrepreneurs can provide valuable insights.

Chief Meme Officer

0 implied HN points • 28 Jun 20
  1. Memes have become a powerful tool in marketing and branding, especially in politics.
  2. Tech industry hasn't fully embraced the potential of memes in their strategies.
  3. Creating a Chief Meme Officer position can revolutionize how tech companies approach marketing and creativity.

The Art Of Modern Marketing

0 implied HN points • 18 Jun 20
  1. Marketing is about finding people with a specific worldview who might need your product.
  2. Storytelling in marketing appeals to human emotions and connects with the audience on a deeper level.
  3. Effective marketing is rooted in empathy and understanding the cultural context of the target audience.

A Divided World

0 implied HN points • 09 Jun 20
  1. Discrimination exists in various forms around the world, from racism to caste-based discrimination.
  2. Social divisions were created historically for effective control by those in power.
  3. Ending discrimination and promoting tolerance is crucial for the well-being and harmony of society.

The Empathy Factor

0 implied HN points • 07 Jun 20
  1. Empathy is a crucial factor in business today.
  2. Understanding the difference between empathy and sympathy is important.
  3. Empathy helps in understanding and meeting customer needs.

Stanford Code In Place

0 implied HN points • 02 Jun 20
  1. The author participated in Stanford's Code In Place program and found it to be a refreshing escape from the chaos of the world.
  2. Through the program, the author rekindled their passion for coding and learned Python concepts by working on assignments and projects.
  3. The experience was enriching, collaborative, and inspiring, leading the author to continue learning and exploring new topics in tech.

Life In The Times Of Corona

0 implied HN points • 19 Mar 20
  1. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruptions globally, leading to changes in travel plans and work arrangements.
  2. The crisis has sparked important discussions on remote work, highlighting challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
  3. There are concerns about the impact of the pandemic not only on health but also on the economy, with potential for job losses and recession.

The Future of Workplace

0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 20
  1. Productivity in the workplace is affected by the environment, especially open office spaces.
  2. Multitasking is a myth and hampers the quality of work produced.
  3. Remote work is advocated as a solution for increasing productivity and focus in the modern workplace.

The Experience Providers

0 implied HN points • 17 Feb 20
  1. The author discusses customer centricity and product thinking.
  2. Research and discussions with marketers and product people led to a revelation.
  3. The post is for paid subscribers only.

Living Amidst Biases

0 implied HN points • 12 Feb 20
  1. Biases exist all around us, impacting our lives without us even noticing.
  2. Popular biases like Survivorship Bias and Confirmation Bias influence our decision-making.
  3. Understanding and addressing biases is crucial for creating a more fair and innovative society.