Mark Manson says no to hundreds of business ideas every year.
What made him say “f*ck yes” and become my co-founder?
(Yes, the NY Times Best Seller, Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck guy)
When we met, we were coming from completely different worlds.
Mark had spent a decade calling BS on most of self-help — writing about how chasing happiness and “positivity” at all costs quietly makes people more anxious.
I’d spent eleven years in AI, watching it go from barely identifying cats to disrupting knowledge work wholesale.
Then I sold my last AI company and took a year-long sabbatical to try everything: 24 countries, temples, shrines, yoga, therapy, coaching, weird breathwork in the jungle.
It changed my life.
And it left me with an uncomfortable realization:
The people who most need this kind of support are the least likely to ever get it.
Time, money, geography, stigma — the deck is stacked.
Meanwhile, millions of people were already whispering their hardest questions into ChatGPT at 2 a.m.
AI had accidentally become the world’s most popular unqualified therapist.
And as someone who’s built in this space for over a decade, I knew two things:
> These models are insanely capable at emotional understanding when you point them at EQ, not just IQ.
> General AI has no business holding that much human vulnerability without memory, guardrails, or any real sense of responsibility.
So when Mark and I ended up at the same poker game in LA, we started trading notes.
Different paths.
Same conclusion:
> The urgent need isn’t more content, or more “productivity.”
> The urgent need is better mentorship.
- Not another engagement-maximizing feed.
- Not a fake AI “best friend.”
- Not therapy in disguise.
A wise conversation partner that:
- remembers your story over months and years
- is available at 2 a.m. when your thoughts are racing
- gently calls out your blind spots
- helps you turn reflection into one small action you can actually follow through on
That philosophical alignment is what made Mark say “f*ck yes.”
Today, we’re launching what came out of those conversations:
👉🏼Purpose: an AI mentor for your real life.
- We’ve had thousands of members quietly using Purpose in early access.
- Mark is bringing his 8M+ followers into the fold
- Multiple news outlets just covered what we’re building
Early users keep saying things like:
> “This feels like a hard drive for my brain.”
> “This is the first app that actually challenges me instead of just validating me.”
Under the hood:
- We use a blend of the best models (Gemini, Claude, GPT) for what each does best
- A custom memory system means you never have to re-explain who you are
- Safety + privacy are non-negotiable: bank-grade encryption, de-identified data, and guardrails around self-harm and crisis
We’re not trying to maximize your screen time.
If Purpose is working, you spend a few honest minutes with it, then go live your actual life with more clarity, not more tabs open.
Our mission is simple and completely unreasonable:
Make great life advice available 24/7 to a billion people.