Pinned Tweet
For 6 years, I was obsessed with competitive mathematics. Thousands of problems, countless hours of practice, competitions, failures and breakthroughs. That journey shaped the way I think.
Then came the next challenge.
I left Dushanbe with a backpack and a 23 kg suitcase and moved to Shenzhen to start over.
New country. New environment. New problems to solve.
Looking back, I realize the biggest value was never the medals or certificates. It was learning how to stay curious, work consistently, and keep pushing when the answer is not obvious.
The next chapter is just beginning.
Porsche got cooked.
Its automotive operating profit went from €5.29B in 2024 to just €90M in 2025. A 98% collapse.
I saw this video while reading Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove, and the timing was almost perfect.
Grove writes about Intel’s own strategic inflection point. Intel was once heavily dependent on memory chips, but Japanese manufacturers became increasingly competitive and gradually took over the market. Intel initially held on because memory was part of its identity and had built the company.
Eventually, they accepted something much harder than losing market share: the game itself had changed.
Instead of trying to win the old game, Intel shifted its resources toward microprocessors. That decision eventually transformed Intel into the company that defined an era of computing.
Watching what is happening to Porsche made me think about the same idea.
China is no longer simply producing cheaper cars. Chinese manufacturers are becoming serious competitors in EV technology, software, manufacturing speed and increasingly the premium segment itself. Porsche has already acknowledged intense competition in China, particularly in fully electric vehicles.
The interesting question is not whether Porsche can build a better EV than Chinese manufacturers.
It is whether Porsche should be playing exactly the same game.
Strategic inflection points are dangerous because the strengths that built a company can make it harder to recognize when the basis of competition has changed.
Sometimes survival is not about competing harder.
It is about recognizing early enough that the game has changed. – at Stuttgart, Germany
2
125
Everyone knows Niu Lai went viral because it looked unbelievably bad.
But the interesting part is how the internet turned that into box office.
For its first 9 days, the movie made just ¥7,352 with fewer than 300 viewers.
Then on Aug 14,
“Niu Lai box office: ¥7,352 — no, there isn’t a 万 after it”
started trending in China. Clips calling it one of 2026’s most ridiculous/worst animations exploded across Bilibili and Chinese social media.
People suddenly wanted to answer one question themselves:
“Can a cinema movie really be THAT bad?”
One viewer literally drove 30 km because, in his words, bad movies are everywhere, but something this bad had to be witnessed personally.
And cinemas noticed.
In ONE DAY:
21 screenings → 359 screenings.
Within days, it went from almost disappearing from theaters to 10,000+ daily screenings. Some cinema managers even said it was easier to sell than major summer releases.
That’s the real reason Niu Lai exploded.
People stopped buying tickets to watch a movie.
They were buying tickets to participate in an internet event.
The theater itself became part of the meme: strangers laughing together, applauding the credits, posting reactions afterward, then convincing the next group to go.
The internet created demand → cinemas added supply → more people could join the joke → those people created more content → repeat.
Basically a meme with a physical checkout button.
I’m curious whether this could happen in the US too, or whether China’s cinema + social-media ecosystem made Niu Lai uniquely possible.
JUST IN: Homemade Chinese animated film “Niu Lai” surpasses $4 million at the box office on a reported budget of $200.
4
1,690
Fun fact: one of those certificates has our President’s signature. Never thought a piece of paper would carry so many memories.
9
Islam Makhachev’s journey is a reminder of two things: how far belief and hard work can take you, and how important it is to appreciate every moment we’re given. From not yet being a champion when Abdulmanap was alive to becoming a two-division UFC champion and making history — be grateful for every step, and always thank Allah for the journey. Alhamdulillah. ☝️
Ever taken a taxi somewhere, arrived, looked around, and thought, “Yeah… this can’t be the place.” 💀
5
750
🇹🇯 Tajikistan finishes IMO 2026 with 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals in Shanghai! Congratulations to our team! 🥈🥉✨
3
193
