2025-05-10
A note to self, and to the team - this is a message we should hear and repeat often:
Technically sound. Incredibly simple.
We work on deeply technical problems in genomics. Our methods are precise, data-rich, and often designed for expert interpretation. But when our work becomes a product, the way we communicate must change.
The product message must be unmistakably clear.
We’ve learned from the best. Charlie Munger said something equivalent to, “There is no better teacher than history in determining the future… there are answers worth billions of dollars in a $30 history book.” Steve Jobs built momentum not by explaining specs, but by stating how a product would feel. Jeff Bezos insisted on working backwards from the customer. Charlie Munger reminded us that simplicity and clarity win in the long run.
So we apply the same discipline.
Even with complex statistical frameworks and genomic datasets, we must always step back and ask: what is the one sentence that captures what this delivers? What is the exact value, stated without exaggeration or jargon?
Here is what we hold ourselves to:
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If someone we meet on the street cannot repeat the product message back to us after 30 seconds, we have failed.
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We never dumb it down, but we also never decorate it. The message must be simple, honest, and useful.
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It must be obvious why it matters. Even if someone never uses the tool themselves, they should say: “I want my clinician, lab, or government to use this, because it improves outcomes in my community.”
Our product may be powered by advanced Bayesian models, genome-wide priors, and complex variant datasets. But those are not the pitch. The pitch is the result: the confident, evidence-aware genetic conclusions that people can act on.
Clarity is not just part of the product. It is the product.
Technically sound. Incredibly simple.
