Musings

I'm Arash Shiva. I build products and companies at the intersection of AI, marketplaces, and commerce. This is where I think through the ideas behind that work, and what they mean for the people who live with the systems we build. These are questions I'm still working through, refined by AI, not finished answers.

• The Retention Dividend

  Published September 25, 2026

  Moving from planned obsolescence toward circular, asset-backed markets.

  MarketsSustainabilityCircular Economy

• The Infrastructure of Trust

  Published September 12, 2026

  Identity, provenance, and embedded verification in a world of cheap synthetic media.

  TrustAIMarketplaces

• The Fragile Truce

  Published August 1, 2026

  How strangers with different beliefs make a shared civic life possible.

  CommunityTrust

• The Inversion of White-Collar Work

  Published May 20, 2026

  Why hands-on trades and physical problem-solving may outlast many screen-based careers.

  WorkAIClimate

• ShareGrid and the Digital Guild

  Published February 25, 2026

  How sharing expensive gear can build trust and connections between local filmmakers.

  MarketplacesTrust

• Love Without Ownership

  Published July 26, 2025

  A reflection on Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet and the difference between caring for someone and directing their life.

  FamilyLifeMeaning

• The Mountain and the Guest House

  Published May 3, 2023

  A reflection on climbing through difficulty, welcoming inner life, and finding a quieter way forward.

  MindfulnessMeaningLifeCompassion

• The New Binders of Community

  Published December 15, 2022

  Trust, shared norms, and practical exchange as foundations for online communities.

  CommunityTrustMarkets

• Lessons for my Kids

  Published January 10, 2022

  Reflections for Aram and Sam on learning, work, family, and choosing a life.

  FamilyLifeLearning

• The Architecture of Consensus

  Published February 25, 2021

  How groups with different beliefs can make fairer decisions without mistaking agreement for trust.

  GovernanceOrganizationsTrustCommunity

• Lessons at 40

  Published October 8, 2020

  A few reminders about work, family, change, and what makes a life feel rich.

  Well-beingLife

• 10 Lessons from Startup Life

  Published November 15, 2019

  What building ShareGrid taught us about focus, hiring, marketplace growth, and knowing when to say no.

  StartupsMarketplacesProduct Strategy

• Hiring and Coworkers

  Published May 15, 2019

  The judgment, care, and accountability I look for in people I work with.

  HiringStartupsTeamwork

• The Future of Religion

  Published December 25, 2015

  What faith gives us, how institutions can misuse it, and how we might make room for meaning without certainty.

  ReligionCommunityMeaning

• Five Mindfulness Trainings

  Published December 25, 2015

  Five teachings from Thich Nhat Hanh on care, generosity, listening, and attention.

  MindfulnessCompassionLife

• Being Happy

  Published December 25, 2015

  What makes a good life, and why do we make so little room for it?

  Well-beingCommunity

• This Clay

  Published August 2, 2013

  A poem.

• Reinventing Money

  Published April 18, 2013

  How could money help us meet our needs and care for each other without concentrating power?

  MarketsCommunity