Year 3: Down the (Substack) Rabbit Hole
Lesson Learned: Keep Showing Up
On Pontem’s 3rd anniversary, should the theme be “time flies when you’re having fun” or should we attempt to say something more profound about grit/grind culture?
The most honest theme for us is something much simpler: show up
You keep showing up, and you keep showing up, and eventually, somebody notices. Joey Diaz
As Pontem has grown these last 1000+ days, there is a lot to reflect on. While there are definitely highlights, the trip is best summarized in the aggregate. Taking small - sometimes unnoticeable, always intentional - steps to build the company we want to work for (and the people we want to work with).
This is article #167 in the series. By consistently showing up, we “have a stack of undeniable proof that we are who we say we are” (thanks Hormozi). And while showing up applies to everything we do, one place it is visible is in these articles, where we make a point to get everyone to contribute with regular cadence. That’s once/week consistently for the last 3 years that someone at Pontem has “showed up”, put effort in, kept their word, and delivered on what they were asked to do (and we didn’t even make a “67” joke, because that’s so last year…)
So in honor of our 3rd birthday, we thought we would reflect back on a few of our Greatest Hits.
Top of the Pops: Most Popular Topics
We have covered a range of topics, some technical and some editorial, but we can reliably count on three main themes if we want to drive clicks. Any guesses? Our top 3 topics (measured by views) have been:
Hydrates
OLGA
Sports Analytics
Especially if we can find a good picture, our audience always seems to show up for thought-provoking and thirsty pictures of hydrates. Lucky for us, we have some of the most well-respected hydrate experts in the world under our umbrella and have collaborated with others (academia / industry) frequently in the past. Keep your eyes open for more - gotta give the people what they want and play the hits sometimes.
Chart Toppers: Most Viewed Posts
Most major sports have specific numerical milestones (i.e. 500 Home Run Club, sub-4 minute mile, etc.) that guarantee induction into their Hall of Fame. The best of the best. We are no exception, as we have a short-list of top-performing posts inducted into ours. In order, here are our most popular posts since inception.
Congratulations to Stephen Hamilton for having the #1 read post in company history. He truly is Mr. Social Media.
Deep Tracks: Down the Rabbit Hole
Not surprising, the list of topics has grown considerably since our 1st birthday recap. In pulling this together, it was fun to go back and re-read some of our earlier work, as a lot has happened in the world these last 3 years. We were also reminded that Pontem’s founding date coincided closely with another startup you might have heard of: ChatGPT.
It’s fair to look at many companies operating today as BC (Before ChatGPT) and AC, as the way we process data, look at tech stacks, and build companies has been forever altered. Launching right on the cusp of this offers a unique perspective. In fact, we even opined on this early with our thoughts on ChatGPT, if you want to see if we hit the mark:
Aside from that, poking around our Substack reveals thoughts on Machine Learning, NBA gambling outcomes, controlling OPEX in low commodity price environment, and various other good reads - many of which were written before the AI craze went ballistic - so interesting to see some of these data-driven feral ideologies play out. We will share some of the deep tracks throughout 2026 that you might have missed when they were originally released. It’s fine, much like Taylor Swift, we own all our masters, so we can reshare.
So, if you keep reading, we will keep showing up and writing (hopefully interesting stories). And while you are down the rabbit hole, stop, click around, and read a few of the classics…
Remember what the dormouse said…Feed your head…Feed your head.
White Rabbit