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“I can’t do it anymore,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated by the industry, and I’m grateful for my experience here, the brilliant people I’ve met, but personally I need a reset. I just feel so optimized.” He emphasized that last word, optimized. Wasn’t that an ideal state for MBAs like …

“Don’t bullshit me, Ethan. This is serious. If you’re aware of any outside interference to our project, it’s your responsibility to speak up.” He lowered his voice, even though we were the only two in the room. “Ting is valuable to me, obviously, but she’s also valuable to the Corporation. She’s li…

Outside the cafeteria, a pop-up was serving craft coffee from a roastery in Santa Cruz. On a teak bar sat an espresso machine just like the Founder’s. A sandwich board displayed a limited menu: espresso $4, cortado $5. Dozens of Corporation employees stood in line, chatting with the team of barista…

“We can bring you back because you’re tethered to here. What you see in the other worlds exists only there.”

That we’re all tethered to a single place was a false assumption. As much as I wanted to remake myself in California, I was still at least partially tethered to Missouri. When someone a…

I dreaded waking up for the call. I was in Japan for the first time, in the Lost in Translation hotel. Why should I be held hostage to promises I’d made on the other side of the planet? I wanted to go on a solo train ride to Kyoto, like Scarlett. I wanted to sing karaoke with Bill Murray. Still in …