This is an interview style conversation with a close friend of mine, Thieu Ngo-Phan aka Derek. Expect to about how we met, what high school was like for Derek, why he was a loud trouble maker, how independence at university helped him develop, why he spent so much time in office hours, why he chose to study math, some advice for young people to learn math and the role of family in his life.  

(00:05:19) Intro, Derek's full name and the story of how he got called Derek

(00:11:02) How we met and how our friendship developed

(00:27:38) Recalling our 9th grade social studies teacher

(00:29:58) What high school was like for Derek

(00:43:36) The reasons behind Derek's trouble making

(00:58:35) Derek's ability to connect with trouble makers he works with

(01:15:54) Derek's interest in math and his undergrad experience

(01:30:40) Connecting with his professors during office hours

(01:44:15) Derek's advice for young people to learn and engage with math

(01:58:51) The role of family in Derek's life

(02:20:48) Speed Round: Bitcoin, hope for himself and the world, and teaching

Expect to hear some reflections on recording the first 10 podcasts, key takeaways I've had from losing, the drive to compete and bounce back, the frenzy that was the NBA trade deadline, and Albert Camus.

(00:01:00) Reflecting on the first 10 podcasts 

(00:10:00) Losing 

(00:13:39) Competing 

(00:16:25) Bouncing back 

(00:19:21) NBA Trade Deadline 

(00:26:42) Albert Camus

Expect to hear about different situations where telling the truth can be hard, snitching, the social pressures to go along with the group, and being okay with thinking for yourself.

Expect to hear about my journey with money and how I started taking it seriously, how I came across Bitcoin, what we understand money to be, different stores of values available to us, the concept of being in full control and possession of your money and why Bitcoin is the innovation to enable that. 

(00:02:01) - Caveats, disclaimers, and due diligence 

(00:03:52) - The start to my journey with money 

(00:15:39) - How I came across Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies broadly 

(00:22:09) - Learning from Michael Saylor, Saifdean Ammous, and Robert Breedlove 

(00:27:39) - First principles thinking 

(00:29:49) - What is money? 

(00:43:45) - Faith in the US dollar 

(00:46:06) - Stores of value, thinking about how to maintain value and save over time 

(00:48:07) - Gold as a store of value 

(00:49:42) - What is Bitcoin and why one might consider it 

(00:56:56) - Satoshi Nakamoto and the significance of walking away and remaining anonymous 

(00:58:43) - Bitcoin as digital gold 

(01:03:15) - The key distinction between Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrencies. Commodity vs. Securities 

(01:10:02) - The impact of fiat money printing, its role in inflation, and how people allocate their money 

(01:12:37) - The concept of self-custody and who do you trust to hold your life's savings? 

(01:19:27) - The downside to keeping your money in a savings account 

(01:23:42) - The downsides of real estate 

(01:25:52) - Having full custody over your money and the potential pitfalls of 3rd party institutions 

(01:29:34) - Why Bitcoin offers a better alternative 

(01:32:51) - Who has an interest in holding Bitcoin? Global equity, gold, and bond markets 

(01:44:19) - The early stages of adoption, the future of this technology, money, and transacting

Expect to hear about my relationship with death, how I learned about Stoicism through Viktor Frankl, why 2019 might have been the lowest point of my life, what I love about playing basketball with my friends, and some quality family time I've had recently. 

(00:00:20) - The start to my 2023 

(00:03:55) - Memento Mori 

(00:04:32) - How I learned about Stoicism through Viktor Frankl and my own struggles 

(00:11:22) - Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl 

(00:15:25) - Marcus Aurelius quote, Lex Fridman x Mr. Beast on Death 

(00:17:55) - What I'd want people to know if I left this life 

(00:21:26) - People's reluctance to reach out first 

(00:22:34) - Some words to my family 

(00:24:21) - Some words to my friends 

(00:28:09) - Playing basketball with friends 

(00:30:07) - Family time and Lunar New Year

Expect to hear about how my basketball training business has been going, my experience doing scary things to grow, some thoughts on the FTX bankruptcy, why I believe in Bitcoin, being comfortable with iterating as I go, my thoughts on the Twitter Files, transparency, critiques and alignments with the left, and independent thinking. 

This was recorded on December 17, 2022. 

Timestamps below: 

(00:00:50) - recapping the day and the week 

(00:06:02) - cold therapy and morning sunlight 

(00:08:38) - wrapping up the first half of school  

(00:13:31) - Basketball Training 

(00:23:21) - staying consistent  

(00:26:50) - being okay with rough drafts  

(00:28:40) - doing scary things 

(00:30:30) - engaging with dating   

(00:32:30) - solving a problem through action not thinking  

(00:34:00) - speaking honestly  

(00:35:15) - do it and see what happens  

(00:36:00) - Bitcoin and asking who actually holds your money? 

(00:39:40) - cold storage / wallet 

(00:40:30) - full custody of your funds 

(00:43:00) - ability to transact with anyone, anywhere 

(00:45:50) - removing the need for a third party 

(00:46:40) - The distinction between Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies - commodity vs. security  

(00:51:30) - twitter files, censorship and free speech 

(00:54:55) - thumb on the scale  

(00:56:09) - Hunter Biden and Donald Trump 

(00:59:00) - Response to Elon taking over Twitter and the release of the Twitter files  

(1:00:00) - My thoughts on what is considered hate speech 

(1:02:00) - My critiques and alignments with the left 

(1:06:00) - People's critique of Elon 

(1:07:00) - Transparency, Independent Thinking and Keeping an Open Mind 

(1:12:08) - "Your boos mean nothing, I've seen what makes you cheer."  

(1:13:34) - Podcasts I've been binging recently

Expect to hear how my first round of parent-teacher conferences went, what I learned about the fragility of routines many of us do on a day-to-day basis, how I feel about daring to be great, taking the big shots in basketball and in life, my little sister's championship game, leadership in sports, and how I feel about people in Congress, like Nancy Pelosi, trading stocks. 

Expect to hear my thoughts on the Kyrie Irving situation, how the NBA and its figures responded to it, another example of virtue signaling, the concept of guilt by association and how it leads people to self-censor, and an overview of how a situation I experienced in my junior year of high school relates to what's happening with Kyrie. 

In this episode, expect to hear about why I find it important to stay patient in both business and life, my drive to push the limits of my capabilities, my experience reading The Brothers Karamazov (150 pages at the time of recording) and why I appreciate Fyodor Dostoevsky, acknowledging Lex Fridman's and Kanye 'Ye' West's podcast, and what I learned about the book called Testosterone: The Story of the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us by Dr. Carole Hooven. 

Expect to hear about how my winter break has been, why good conversations are so rejuvenating and special to me, how the trivial inconveniences add up in my life, reminding myself to be in and relish the moments, and my wish for people to have a good 2023 but also the fortitude to endure whatever comes up.