This story is a part of Hacker Noon's Meet the Writer series of interviews. The series is intended for tech professionals contributing the most insightful Hacker Noon stories to share more about their writing habits, ideas, and professional background (and maybe a hobby or two).
If you too would like to start contributing to Hacker Noon, you can do so here.
So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.
Hey! My name is Alex Jivov and I’m the CEO & Cofounder of Hopeful Inc, a (recently exited!) startup that empowers nonprofits and charities to see why people aren’t just hitting the like button, but donating, to their causes on social media.
On the personal side, I’m somewhat of a hobby fiend. First and foremost I love to cook, to the point of having my own published cookbook and it being my first ever side hustle. When I’m not stuffing my face, however, I’m an avid gamer, painter, and reader, in no particular order.
Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?
It was actually a profile about Hopeful Inc! As part of our inclusion in the Hackernoon Startup of the Year Awards, I was asked to put together a story about our startup, how we help nonprofits, and what we hope to achieve in the upcoming year. It seems people really loved it!
Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?
I most often write about AI and its applications to the world of social good, but am also a strong believer in Quantum technologies and how they will revolutionize the world of Data Analytics. We’ve had a crazy few months here at Hopeful, so I haven’t had much time to write in the last several months. I’m hoping to use the winter as a “reset” to explore new topics in the tech space and restart my writing routine.
Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)
I think a writing routine needs to be fluid and adaptable to every person’s routine. I started off as a journalist many moons ago, and thus kept trying to write under hard deadlines long after that became unfeasible - as I had to adjust to a different career that did not involve writing specifically.
That rigidity led to a lost several years of potential writing for me, and I only got back into the game once I accepted that writing was no longer a central component of my career, but rather an important hobby and booster to my personal success and wellbeing. Now, I write my stories at a fairly relaxed and piecemeal pace, keeping a light structure in that I need to get some amount of writing down every week. It has led to a huge increase in quality and quantity of pieces ever since.
Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?
Finding the time! I love writing, but it is one of the toughest things to fit in as a startup founder. It requires direct focus, and as a founder your brain is often pulled in a million different directions at once.
What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?
I’ve been lucky enough to have just exited my first startup, and to be honest I’m still living in that afterglow. I’m so proud of my team at Hopeful and right now all I want to focus on is making sure we have a successful transition and keep up our great service to our nonprofit clients!
Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?
Video games - specifically anything related to exploration or real time strategy. I recently came back to No Man’s Sky, which for those who don’t know is one of the most therapeutic and beautifully done video games out there.
What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?
I’ll leave it a surprise!