šHi, Iām Amrita, the Chief Pragmatic Optimist.
I started my newsletter, The Pragmatic Optimist in September 2023 to make sense of the world by connecting the dots in macroeconomics, technology and culture. Since then, 5000 readers have joined me on my journey. My hope is to take you along with me to help you understand the ābig pictureā, identify great businesses and improve your financial and mental wellbeing.
Prior to starting the newsletter, my husband and co-author of The Pragmatic Optimist,
and I worked for several years in large companies and tech startups in San Francisco. During those years, we would both be passively investing (cough: Robinhood generation), up until the time I picked up Ray Dalioās The Principles of Dealing with the Changing World Order.ĀIt was then (end of 2020-early 2021) that we embarked on a quest to study and disentangle how the worldās financial markets and economies work and use the insights to discover and invest in companies that sit at the intersection of key technological and cultural waves.
We now reside in Vancouver, Canada where you will usually find me in a coffee shop somewhere, sipping my coffee, nibbling on my muffin and thinking hard about something. But if you do spot me, please come and say hi. (I rarely put on headphones, so itās easy to get my attention).
Coming back to the newsletter, hereās a quick breakdown of what to expect: šš¼
Hereās a quick breakdown of what to expect: šš¼
Monday Macro: These are data and framework driven deep dives into topics surrounding the state of the US and global economy. Think: consumer spending, inflation, interest rates, labor market, debt, etc. Lately, I have also been adding layers of AI and consumer behavior, especially those of Gen Zās to drive my thesis surrounding topics of productivity and future of work. Here are some examples below:
Thursday Teardowns: Usually involves a breakdown of an emerging technology or trend to understand how it is shaping our lives, culture and identify companies (public and private) that are positioned to enable and benefit from these movements. My husband and co-author of The Pragmatic Optimist Uttam Dey lends his expertise in this segment, since I realized I couldnāt do it by myself.
Hereās one of our Thursday Teardowns that our readers absolutely loved:
Iām also adding a new segment starting May where I will highlight some of the key companies that I am investing in, carefully watching or getting ready to sell. In case you donāt know, I am an active contributor on Seeking Alpha since January 2024 and I thought it will be a good idea to extend my āinvestingā voice to Substack, with companies that I believe sit at the intersection of key technology and cultural/societal waves, have management with grit and vision, a continuous culture of product innovation and experimentation, and a laser-sharp focus on operational efficiencies (say goodbye to the ZIRP era).
I try to publish posts 5-6 times a month, 1-2 posts for Monday Macro, 2 posts on Thursday Teardowns and 2 posts on our stock picks.
Read a few of my past essays (below), and if they really speak to you, consider buying me a coffee ā and a muffin š§ to support my work.
FYI: A paid subscriber gets to book 30 minutes on my calendar once a quarter to discuss a range of topics surrounding macroeconomics, tech, investing, life, jokes, etc.
My newsletter also gets featured in leading publications such as the Wall Street Journal. š„øš
Here are some of my top posts that my subscribers absolutely loved reading:
The Great Social Media Reset - We Scroll More Than We Post.
Risk a banking crisis or reignite inflation? The Fed's worst dilemma is here.
Yes, AI is in a bubble. No, it won't pop just yet.
āDonāt bet against Americaā- Are we entering a prolonged productivity boom?
I also show up on podcasts from time to time. Would love going on more, if you can recommend some.
Once again, I really appreciate your vote of confidence and see you in my posts.
Amrita (& Uttam) šš¼šš¼
P.S. Substack gave me this badge that tells you I might be decent at writing, so here it is:
P.P.S: We read and respond to every comment in our posts. Weāve designed it to be a dialogue where we learn from one another, rather than just a monologue. Iām very active on the Substack Notes. Itās got a Twitter like feature where I engage with all my followers. So consider joining and following me there. I promise you itāll be fun, at the very least.
