The days are long but the decades are short

Last October, I moved with my wife and son to Mountain View. Shortly after, I turned 30 and celebrated quietly with them. I didn't need a big party -- my wife had just broken the news: we were going to have another baby.

I had a strange feeling when I realized that I had come back to Mountain View eight years after going through YC, and that my perspective on life (and my life itself) had completely changed. Back then, I certainly wasn't expecting to raise my kids here. I wasn't even expecting to have kids so soon.

I remembered reading Sam Altman's classic essay during the summer of 2017, and thought I should do the same now that I had turned 30 myself. It took me a while to sit down, but now my daughter is here and I feel like it's a good time to write down some notes to myself for the next decade.

Having kids made me realize how futile some of the things I did before were. It completely resets your priorities.

I always thought I needed to be "successful" before having kids. I also thought I wanted to preserve my freedom while I was young... In Having Kids, Paul Graham wrote "I remember perfectly well what life was like before. Well enough to miss some things a lot, like the ability to take off for some other country at a moment's notice. That was so great. Why did I never do that?"

Well, reading this changed my life. I'm so glad we didn't wait.
The days can feel even longer with kids. But time seems to be running out even faster. You don't really see them grow day to day, but one day you wake up and you're like: wow they are so big.

It makes you appreciate all the little moments and makes you realize how precious life is. Before having kids, I was only reminded when someone close to me died. Now I'm reminded every single day.
I don't believe having kids makes me less ambitious. I do want to spend a lot of time with my kids, but I also want them to have a lot of opportunities. And because I still don't feel "successful" in that regard, it makes me want to work harder for them.

Maybe I'll become less ambitious once I feel we have enough. I don't know. If we have enough money to buy healthy food, live in a nice house, and have fun together, it's more than enough to be happy.
Play the long game. The decades are short. If you are really passionate about something, you can keep doing it for a long time. I'm lucky to call François Kevorkian my friend, and he inspires me so much in that regard. He has an amazing career spanning five decades and multiple technological revolutions, and he's still redefining what being a DJ and producer means.
It's okay to start a startup at 40. I used to think you only had one shot in your early twenties. I still want to build things, and I've come to realize that being older or having built a company before can actually be an advantage. It feels good to remember that I have time to learn a lot before starting again. Right now I'm learning so much about AI at OpenAI. I can't think of a better place to be.
It's not going to be easy. It's not supposed to be easy.
Be optimistic. After reading The Culture Map a few years ago while working with incredible people living in China and India, I finally became aware of my own culture. I love how French people debate with passion, but I felt the pessimistic vibes from time to time while living in Paris. Here is my reminder to stay optimistic. Trust the people around you.
Products die, relationships last. It still resonates so much to this day. I came back to Silicon Valley to work on an early-stage startup building an AI app. The co-founders decided to shut down the company, but I made a few friends along the way. It was the most talented team I've worked with so far, and I'm proud of the product we built.

We keep in touch, and I want it to stay that way.
"Go out of your way to help people. Few things in life are as satisfying." -- I'm stealing this one from Sam Altman. My role at OpenAI involves helping people learn about AI and make the most of it. For the first time in my life, I'm working on a technology that impacts both YC founders and my parents at the same time. What a wonderful way to be helpful.
Take the time to play video games when the time feels right. I work all the time, and playing games is always the last thing I do when I'm bored. But I started playing Baldur's Gate 3 with my brother Thomas, and I want to finish it. It's a great game, and it improves our communication.

We've just started the assault on Moonrise Towers after Shadowheart turned into a Dark Justiciar. Lots of good fights ahead!
Create immersive music experiences. My mission with Sweet Spot is to bring people closer together through shared music experiences. I love the emotions you get from a live concert or DJ set, and sharing that with the people around you.

For ISLA Festival 2025, my brothers and I drove from Paris to l'Île des Embiez and worked hard on setting up a 3D sound system. A first for all of us. And after three successful days of festivities, we took a golf cart and drove around the beautiful island at 6am and watched the sun rise. Beautiful moment.

We are just getting started, but working on Sweet Spot has already brought me and my brothers closer together. I'll remember this forever.
Good things take time.
Go to kid-friendly festivals. Before we had kids, my wife invited me to a festival in Bristol where Octopus Energy employees were taking some time off. I love drum & bass and jungle, and seeing three (or four) generations going crazy and dancing together was one of the most heartwarming feelings I've ever experienced at a festival.

There were teenagers trying to grab the MC's attention, grandparents nodding to the rhythm, and parents taking shifts to watch the strollers around the bonfires. Man, I was not even thinking about being a dad at the time, but now I look back and wish to experience this with my own kids. Maybe Lightning in a Bottle in a few years?
Sharing music is the deepest way to connect as humans. Share your passion for music and spread your knowledge.

Watch a concert film with a loved one. You don't always need to go out to enjoy live music.
Dance with your family. We have a tradition called Disco Sunday. Sometimes it's Reggae Sunday or Rock Sunday. You get the idea. There is something powerful about being silly and dancing with your life partner and kids. I can't explain it, but trust me -- make it a habit.
Read a lot of books to your kids. Even if it feels repetitive sometimes -- once they start to speak, you'll realize how much they take in. My wife, my son and I even have our own little memes from books we all love. Chris Haughton is a great author and illustrator.
Go out and climb, ski, snowboard or fish. Ride horses, mountain bikes and dirt bikes. I want to do all of this with my family, everywhere around the world. This is what makes me the most excited about our future.

I'm especially excited about riding dirt bikes on trails and in the forest with my kids. Maybe it's because my dad gave me a dirt bike when I was young. I remember riding the trails through the fields behind our house. But he didn't have a bike himself. Maybe I would have loved to ride with him.

I can't wait to ride with my kids.