Amy Tang

🌊 Last night's launch at Google's Kings Cross marked a significant step forward for local democracy: introducing Waves! Developed by Demos and inspired by Audrey Tang's vTaiwan model, Waves is an AI-powered digital deliberation tool designed to make public participation more inclusive, efficient, and impactful. By integrating platforms Remesh and PSi with new open-source technology from CASM Technology, Waves enables large-scale, in-depth community engagement, helping councils identify consensus on complex local issues. Camden and South Staffordshire will be the first to pilot tackling adult social care and local planning, respectively. With support from partners like New Local, Waves aims to bridge the gap between councils and communities, making participatory democracy more accessible and effective. Thanks to Miriam Levin and Polly Curtis for their leadership. Excited to see how Waves will transform local policymaking and reduce polarisation! #LocalDemocracy #CivicTech #Waves #Demos #Innovation #CommunityEngagement #NewLocal

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Cultural friction as a velocity multiplier. In global tech, the default guidance is cultural alignment, it's wrong. I fundamentally disagree with the premise. Trying to force a unified, homogenized culture, making Thailand operate like North America, Western Europe, or vice versa, is a strategic error that sacrifices competitive speed for superficial peace. The tension between diverse operating models is the lever we use to accelerate. At SmarterTravel, we manage a highly effective bi-continental operating system built on leveraging inherent differences: The American impulse "Move fast, iterate aggressively" vs. the Thai discipline "processes rigor and systemic validation" yielded results of speed with architecture. Using American aggression to dictate the pace and the Thai precision to ensure that the architecture holds. I believe companies should stop trying to smooth out cultural differences and should operationalize them (my first choice of word was weaponize) - this is how you build a resilient, high velocity global machine. #CulturalFriction #GlobalTech #CrossCulturalLeadership #HighVelocityTeams #OperatingModels

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While most people spent the holiday break avoiding their screens, I spent mine trapped in a very specific technical obsession. After more than a decade of product management, working in sectors like Fintech, Cross-Border Payments, and now in GovTech—environments where data privacy is treated with high-security reverence—I’ve developed a healthy, perhaps slightly neurotic, respect for Data Sovereignty. I decided to see if I could build a localized, autonomous AI agent that keeps all intelligence strictly on-device. The catch? I have a curiosity that could kill a lion, but I’m constrained by the hardware I have on hand: a MacBook Air M1 with exactly 8GB of RAM. Also, because in reality, we will always have limitation, scarcity in econ terms. and mine happened to be the hardware I have on hand (not to mention the very limited working experience with Python, but AI can help me out with that). The mission: Build an agent that dispatches comprehensive reports on the Thai Digital Landscape—specifically e-commerce, virtual banking, and lending regulations —in both English and Thai. You may ask, why Thai? Because I’ve spent the last few months in private lessons (speaking and writing), and I figured this was the perfect 'two birds, one stone' approach to test my technical logic and my linguistic progress. Trying to run agentic orchestration on 8GB of RAM is like trying to host a gala dinner in a walk-in closet. It requires aggressive optimization. The project is far from perfect. I have yet to run a formal evaluation on the translation nuances, which is exactly why I’ve committed to a public roadmap in the README. If you’re interested in how to squeeze sovereign intelligence out of limited resources, the evidence (and the roadmap) is on my GitHub. My cats remain unimpressed by my resourcefulness, but the fascination with regional tech keeps the engine running. Here's the project for you to see: https://lnkd.in/gX2VBKgv

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Working on community programs in Payatas with the Asian Development Bank forced me to rethink how field constraints reshape operational models.  Systems fail when they aren’t designed for real operating conditions. Resource flows rarely match procurement timelines. Stakeholder maps look stable until you meet the stakeholders. Process handoffs break when informal networks carry the real load. Data quality swings depending on who actually collects it. Assumptions about capacity disappear once execution starts. The teams that validate on the ground always build resilient delivery paths. The ones that rely on paper alignment always inherit structural gaps. Clarity in operations comes from contact with reality. And reality is shaped by constraints, not intentions. It refined how I judge whether a system is ready for real conditions.

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Many founders and tech professionals are starting to explore the O-1 visa, often assuming that building a strong O-1 profile can be done quickly. However, based on my conversations with Jason Cheung about EB-1A and O-1 profile-building, this is not the case. Even O-1 profile-building can take months or even several years. If you want to start building an O-1 profile, begin by: - Getting involved in activities relevant to the criteria you want to target. - Speaking to reporters if you are already connected to them through your network or company. - Attending conferences to speak, which can help demonstrate your expertise in your field. To be notified first-hand about all our future opportunities like these, subscribe to our calendar of events: https://lu.ma/ventureminer Additionally, if you're interested in learning more about EB-1A and O-1 profile-building, check out Jason's profile-building opportunities database, private group, and other resources through his newsletter (only $12 per month): https://lnkd.in/deqhfpRs #eb1a #o1visa #greencard #swe #tech

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I’m excited to share that I’ve returned to Coupang after spending a year at Meta. While the work-life balance at Meta was quite challenging, the experience was invaluable and taught me a great deal. Here are a few key takeaways I bring back with me: - Focus on real value. Ruthlessly cut unnecessary meetings, especially recurring ones. Most should be under 30 minutes, with preparation done beforehand and follow-ups afterward. Keep meetings limited to those truly required—just for quick sync and alignment. - Move fast and show impact. Iterate quickly, but also take the time to communicate the value of your work clearly and effectively. - Collaborate with intention. Choose partners strategically, aiming for win-win outcomes. True synergy is the key to strong partnerships. - Lead with clarity. Leaders naturally want to make everyone better, but sometimes it’s essential to focus on those with the right capabilities and mindset. Otherwise, you risk slowing down the entire team. I’m thrilled to be back at Coupang and to work again with the talented colleagues I know and admire. I look forward to building great things together—and applying what I’ve learned at Meta to help us succeed.

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Talk of layoffs is back. When you live in a country on a work visa, that news feels heavy. I have lived in Singapore for 10 years. My life, my friends, and my home are here. But the reality of a work visa is that your right to stay has an expiration date tied to your job. If my role ends, I have to pack my life into boxes and leave. I have survived this before. Since I moved here, I saw two of my companies shut down. Both times, the news hit me hard. I felt the same weight in my chest that I feel today. But I also know that I found my way back to solid ground every time. I am anxious about what comes next. I don’t know the outcome of this week yet. But I realize I cannot control the economy or company decisions. I can only focus on my own preparation. I stay close to the creator community and keep my skills sharp. My expertise is the only thing that travels with me, no matter where I am. A company owns my current role, but I own the craft I have built over the last decade. If you feel this weight today, focus on your next step. You have the tools to handle a pivot. Are you also navigating the uncertainty of a work visa? I’d love to hear how you stay focused.

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My former boss destroyed my life plan with one sentence, yet it was the smartest thing I ever heard. I was juggling my bachelor's degree, master's program, side work at an investment bank, AND a startup job in Silicon Valley. Flying back and forth for tests. Working around the clock. Thinking I was being incredibly productive. I was trying to convince him to let me do my senior year remotely so I could keep working. He shut it down immediately. "That's such a terrible idea. If you're not willing to commit 100% to something, it's not worth doing at all." I thought he was wrong. I thought I could optimize my way through everything. He was right. I was spread so thin that nothing got my best effort. Now I'm 100% focused on Structify. All day, all night. That's it. No side projects. No backup plans. No hedging my bets. The difference is incredible. When you commit fully to one thing, you stop making excuses and start finding solutions. You stop looking for the easy way out because there is no way out. You get comfortable being uncomfortable because that's where the work happens. Most people fail not because they chose the wrong thing, but because they never fully chose anything.

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What can we learn from WhatsApp about making communities sticky, whatever the platform? In this week's Community Inc., Grace Malik shares her experience with building communities on WhatsApp. She dives into what happens when constraints strip a community back to what actually matters. Here’s what to expect: ✔️ How communities thrive despite constraints ✔️ 7 principles for highly-engaged communities ✔️ A real case study of those principles in action Out now: https://lnkd.in/e6xUK39J

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12 changemakers driving bold, community-led solutions across 27 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. We are proud to be selected in Rockerfeller Foundation Big Bets Fellowship for our tech for social good products Digital and Spatial Technologies for Anticipatory Action - DASTAA. Uttam Pudasaini , one of our co-founders at NAXA, is representing us in this journey where he will participate in intensive programming, peer learning, and global networking designed to amplify potential impact and help translate the bold ideas into lasting systems change. This fellowship is bringing together 12 visionary leaders who are pioneering scalable, locally rooted solutions to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from water scarcity to sustainable agriculture, marine conservation, disaster risk reduction, digital innovation and more. #Naxa #LocationMatters #DASTAA #DisasterTech #SocialInnovation

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And just like that, the tech layoffs start again 😞 If you’ve been in this industry long enough, the headline is familiar. Still disappointing. And still heavy. I lived through this firsthand during my time at Google. In 2023, many close friends and colleagues were impacted by the company’s largest workforce reduction to date. Beyond the obvious personal toll, it had a real and lasting effect on momentum, trust, and culture - far more than most post-hoc memos will ever admit. At this point, layoffs have become a strange but unmistakable feature of tech in the 2020s. Companies will cite restructuring, shifting priorities, or macro conditions - and sometimes those explanations are valid. More often than not, layoffs are less about a single mistake and more about correcting decisions made during periods of rapid growth - when hiring, investment, and priorities were all set against assumptions that didn’t fully materialize. There’s also a quieter, more uncomfortable reality in the background: AI-driven transformation is going to reshape not just roles, but the overall size and structure of workforces across every industry. I don’t believe that’s what drove this particular decision - but between now and 2030, we should expect this dynamic to become increasingly common. Not always as a headline, but as a structural shift in how work gets done and how many people are needed to do it. And it’s worth pausing here, because these aren’t abstract roles or org charts. These are PEOPLE - with families, obligations, and identities deeply tied to their work. That human reality often gets lost in strategy decks and earnings calls. Which is why the window for thoughtful upskilling, workforce evolution planning, and responsible AI adoption has never been more urgent. Leaders are being asked to navigate one of the most complex transitions this industry has faced - balancing innovation, efficiency, and human impact at the same time. There are no easy answers. 🤷‍♂️ If you’re a strategist or engineer who’s been impacted by the recent Meta layoffs - or someone with a genuine interest in building with AI in a practical, grounded way - our door at AI Momentum Partners (AMP) is always open. Just reach out. 👋

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This week, I made it back to MWC after a few years away. It was amazing to see the hustle, the booths, and more importantly to reconnect with friends, colleagues and partners in the Fira (and the "after-hours Fira" (aka Temple)). SoftBank also unveiled its Telco AI Cloud vision (https://lnkd.in/gzQ7SyR2) . On the surface, it looks like another GPU cloud play. But look closer, and you'll see something fundamentally different: a telecom operator rewiring itself into an AI-first operator. Beyond deploying GPUs in bulk, its about delivering a simplified but powerful platform to enable AI-on-RAN and eventually AI-for-RAN use cases. A key component (and a genuinely hard problem) is resource and workload management. When you're running AI workloads across centralized data centers AND edge MEC nodes AND live RAN infrastructure simultaneously, intelligently managing hardware, containerized workloads and ensuring the right workload runs in the right place while meeting expected quality and performance levels becomes non-negotiable. Failures will be noticed. That's where Infrinia AI Cloud OS comes in. It is the software stack that ties together compute resources and workloads, and supports orchestrating workloads across the entire environment. The goal: compute that flows fluidly between training, inference, and network control based on actual demand, across core, edge and deep edge. Telcos have always owned the physical layer. Having spectrum and proximity to users is an incredible advantage and with the right software stack, that becomes a strategic moat in the AI era. Grateful to be part of this journey! https://lnkd.in/gzQ7SyR2 #airan #infrinia #physicalAI #TelcoAICloud

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