Date: 2026-10-14 Channel: content Permalink: https://ryevalley.slack.com/archives/C07Q8FGH4CU/p1791975652616679
Decisions made in this thread
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“Silicon Valley expat” approved as a positioning phrase for Houck’s personal brand. Houck said: “It’s not negative but implies there’s some reason I’m not there. Seems accurate.” Tatem agrees it’s “kinda cool.”
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Old hook rejected: “I’m Michael Houck. I used to pull 120-hour work weeks to grow my companies. Now I’m scaling and sleeping at the same time.” Houck said he doesn’t love it. Tatem was not sold either and will send alternatives.
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Hermes naming guidance: Do not say “mine’s called Hermes” in any content — Hermes is the product name by Nous Research, not a custom persona name Houck invented. Using it that way implies either ignorance or a claim that Houck built it. Future option: rebrand the internal Hermes instance to a unique name/persona over time. For now, talk about using Hermes the product.
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SV culture pillar needs reframing: The IB-style “exposing Silicon Valley” angle from the reference account (anonymous) was rejected as too snarky and bitter. The correct frame: “insider explaining an otherwise closed, high-status world to everyone else,” but with genuine belief in the value of Silicon Valley, not bitterness about leaving it. Reference accounts for the right tone: Andrew Yeung, Steph Mui, Marshall Sandman, @chandrewvc.
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Build-in-public AI series approved as a content pillar within the Hermes/AI content arc.
Watch
- Tatem to revise the SV pillar script and send hook alternatives for the rejected opener.
- Houck to film 1-2 videos this afternoon (Oct 14).