Introduction
Hey, I’m Albert, cofounder and CTO of Forward Labs, where we’re building AI agents that automate sales and operations in freight logistics.
Before this, I helped scale hypergrowth Y Combinator companies from zero to unicorn ($1B+ valuation), including Xendit (YC S15) and Spenmo (YC S20).
Born into a truck driver family and the first in my family to graduate from high school, I’ve seen firsthand how broken infrastructure can be. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with fixing it, especially through software.
Since then, I’ve worked across Asia and North America, leading engineering teams, contributing to YC-backed unicorns, and now building automation for one of the world’s most foundational industries.
I also write on Substack about startups, art, solitude, and scaling with intention.
How Did You Start Writing?
I started writing the way most people in tech start debugging, because something didn’t make sense, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Back when I was teaching myself to code and bouncing between countries and contracts, writing was how I made sense of the chaos. I didn’t have formal training, just questions, notebooks, and too many late-night Google Docs.
Over time, writing became more than reflection. It became a way to document lessons for other builders, especially engineers, founders, and operators in emerging markets who often face similar constraints.
How Has Technology Impacted The Way You Write?
It’s never been easier, or noisier, to share your thoughts.
I use AI tools to iterate and sharpen ideas, especially for technical explainers. But for me, great writing still begins with lived experience. I don’t use AI to write for me. I use it to clarify and compress what I’ve already lived or shipped.
In a way, my writing mirrors how we build AI agents at Forward Labs. Start with a signal, iterate fast, cut noise.
Substack made it easy to build a habit. HackerNoon helped amplify the work, especially when writing about niche intersections like AI and freight.
Share About Your Journey Highlights?
I never thought I’d end up working on AI. I didn’t study it, didn’t plan for it, and for a long time, it wasn’t even on my radar.
My path’s been nonlinear. I’ve taught kids physics and math, delivered chicken door to door, built civic tech for governments, worked at nonprofits, and eventually found my way into startups. I chased whatever work felt useful, even if it didn’t come with a roadmap.
It’s been a humbling journey. I’ve gone from writing code to leading teams to building tools that help real people in overlooked industries. Lately, I’ve realized that building and writing aren’t so different. Both are about trying to bring clarity to something messy and leaving it a little better than you found it.
What’s Your Creative Process?
Most of my ideas come from what I call “ambient friction”: small things that feel off but keep showing up. I log them in Notion as rough titles, half-formed thoughts, and screenshots of things that bug me.
Writing is how I make sense of it all. Sometimes, it feels like literally searching for a needle in the haystack of your own brain.
Once the core idea is clear, I treat it like a product. Structure first, then polish. Something I’d actually say out loud.
Your Favorite Memory/Article(s) to This Day?
One I keep coming back to is Escaping AI Demo Hell: Why Eval-Driven Development Is Your Path to Production.
It came from real-world friction, shipping AI in freight where things have to work in messy, high-stakes environments. That piece breaks down why flashy demos aren’t enough and why structured evaluation is what actually gets models into production.
I also had fun writing “Escape Prompt Hell”. That one started as a Slack rant, turned into a HackerNoon Top Story, and somehow led to this interview. Proof that even the scrappy stuff can go far if it’s useful.
How Did You Hear About HackerNoon? Share With Us About Your Experience With HackerNoon.
I’ve been reading HackerNoon for years, back when I was just learning to code and trying to figure out how startups actually worked. It stood out as a place where real builders shared lessons without the hype.
It’s wild to go from being a reader to being invited to share my story here.
What Have You Learnt From Your Journey?
Along the way, you’re going to “lose”: time, momentum, bets, confidence. But losing isn’t the end. Some of the most meaningful shifts happen right after things fall apart.
If you lose, lose well. Fail forward. Learn fast. That way, it’s never really a loss.
Final Thoughts
I’m grateful to be part of this community, a space that values the messy, unfinished stories behind what we build.
If you’re working on something weird, hard, or a little bit chaotic, whether it’s a tool, a career, or a life, I hope you tell that story too. That’s what HackerNoon is here for.
And if you do, I’d love to hear it.
About HackerNoon Writers Spotlight
HackerNoon Writers Spotlight is a special, exclusive interview series where HackerNoon’s Top Writers share about their writing journey on the net in this ever-evolving digital world.
