Brayden
Co-Founder
Q: Where you are from?
Tallinn, Estonia
Q: If you knew it was going to be your last meal, what would you eat?
Every conceivable different kind of French fry.
Q: What led you to pursue a career in your current field, and how has your professional journey evolved over time?
I always say a vision for what games could do for the world outside of entertainment. Humans have been inventing games since they picked up the first stone and hit it with the first stick. It’s part of who we are, and will continue to become more a part of how we live in the future. This has led me down a career with many hats: a designer, an entrepreneur, a researcher, an inventor, an author, a product manager and even an organizational change consultant!
Q: What was the most challenging project you worked on in your career? How did you overcome any obstacles to achieve a successful outcome?
How did you overcome any obstacles to achieve a successful outcome? I think every project I work on has been more challenging than the last. And, they all require that I risk failure, because no project worth taking on has certainty. Yet, I always remind myself that you only truly fail when you give up.
Q: What motivates you to come to work every day, and how do you stay engaged and enthusiastic about your job?
I have the opportunity to do work that is truly unique. That is cutting edge and that I may be one of just a few people who both knows enough and cares enough to do this exact work. That makes me feel like the work I do matters, and that if I weren’t doing it as hard as it may be on some days that no one would be doing it at all!
Q: Can you share a defining moment in your life or career that has shaped who you are as a person (rather than a worker)?
When I was about 12, I began to read my first philosophy books: Plato, Nietzsche, Emerson and others. For better or worse, this set me on a path where more than anything I wanted to make a contribution to humanity. I try to live within that moral framework to the best of my ability.
Q: How do you maintain a work-life balance, and what activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
I don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At least at this moment in my life, when I am not working, I am trying to continue my learning in philosophy. I read books, watch lectures and hope to one day soon be able to continue my formal education to get a Master’s in Philosophy.
Q: What do you hope the future of work looks like? (Please give an example of a challenge you see today, and what a solution might look like, or a specific thing you hope for in the future workplace)
I genuinely hope that the future of work is not working. That automation, AI and machines will render most jobs unnecessary, that the people who don’t want to work don’t have to and that those who do work do so because it brings them joy.
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field or looking to grow to their utmost potential?
Move. Go to Burning Man. Spend time with people who are very unlike you. Learn about a religion you don’t know about. Read a philosopher with whom you disagree. Do as much as you can, as early as you can, to challenge your preconceived notions, self-identity and default thinking. It will lead you to one of two amazing outcomes:
1) You will evolve to be more of who you really are; or
2) You’ll find out why you really believe what you believe.
No matter what happens, you won’t regret it. And, will that help your professional success? Yes, because research has shown those who pursue their passions are statistically more likely to become financially successful later in their careers. But, who cares because you’ll be happier either way.
Q: Where you are from?
Tallinn, Estonia
Q: If you knew it was going to be your last meal, what would you eat?
Every conceivable different kind of French fry.
Q: What led you to pursue a career in your current field, and how has your professional journey evolved over time?
I always say a vision for what games could do for the world outside of entertainment. Humans have been inventing games since they picked up the first stone and hit it with the first stick. It’s part of who we are, and will continue to become more a part of how we live in the future. This has led me down a career with many hats: a designer, an entrepreneur, a researcher, an inventor, an author, a product manager and even an organizational change consultant!
Q: What was the most challenging project you worked on in your career? How did you overcome any obstacles to achieve a successful outcome?
How did you overcome any obstacles to achieve a successful outcome? I think every project I work on has been more challenging than the last. And, they all require that I risk failure, because no project worth taking on has certainty. Yet, I always remind myself that you only truly fail when you give up.
Q: What motivates you to come to work every day, and how do you stay engaged and enthusiastic about your job?
I have the opportunity to do work that is truly unique. That is cutting edge and that I may be one of just a few people who both knows enough and cares enough to do this exact work. That makes me feel like the work I do matters, and that if I weren’t doing it as hard as it may be on some days that no one would be doing it at all!
Q: Can you share a defining moment in your life or career that has shaped who you are as a person (rather than a worker)?
When I was about 12, I began to read my first philosophy books: Plato, Nietzsche, Emerson and others. For better or worse, this set me on a path where more than anything I wanted to make a contribution to humanity. I try to live within that moral framework to the best of my ability.
Q: How do you maintain a work-life balance, and what activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
I don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At least at this moment in my life, when I am not working, I am trying to continue my learning in philosophy. I read books, watch lectures and hope to one day soon be able to continue my formal education to get a Master’s in Philosophy.
Q: What do you hope the future of work looks like? (Please give an example of a challenge you see today, and what a solution might look like, or a specific thing you hope for in the future workplace)
I genuinely hope that the future of work is not working. That automation, AI and machines will render most jobs unnecessary, that the people who don’t want to work don’t have to and that those who do work do so because it brings them joy.
Q: What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field or looking to grow to their utmost potential?
Move. Go to Burning Man. Spend time with people who are very unlike you. Learn about a religion you don’t know about. Read a philosopher with whom you disagree. Do as much as you can, as early as you can, to challenge your preconceived notions, self-identity and default thinking. It will lead you to one of two amazing outcomes:
1) You will evolve to be more of who you really are; or
2) You’ll find out why you really believe what you believe.
No matter what happens, you won’t regret it. And, will that help your professional success? Yes, because research has shown those who pursue their passions are statistically more likely to become financially successful later in their careers. But, who cares because you’ll be happier either way.
