On low energy, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and the AirBnB story

Lmaoo this is a newsletter-lite. You gats manage am.

Hi guys,

Hope you are well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.

I begin this at 12:44 pm on a Sunday afternoon, writing what will inevitably be a late newsletter. You see, I initially opened my laptop for this purpose at about 9 am, but a combination of low energy, four phone calls, and getting distracted on Obasanjo’s internet have meant I am only getting to this now.

Even worse, I am low on ideas. I went through my notes (where I typically compile potential newsletter topics) but nothing seems to fit. A few of them I have written briefly about previously, a few of them I am not in the mood to write about, and for the others, well…my brain has refused to paint a coherent picture.

So yeah.

….

It is now 8:08 pm and I am once again in front of my laptop, sitting two steps away from the beans on fire. Earlier in the afternoon, I put off writing till later, thinking that the topic x motivation x energy will come. It did not.

Instead, I read for a while, slept for a few hours (something I very rarely do in the daytime), and then have spent the last few hours doing some runs to prepare for the new week.

Remember what we did a few weeks ago when I was much too tired to write?

Let's do it again. Hopefully, it does not become a habit. 🥲🥲

What I'm watching

On YouTube, I am currently watching David Rubenstein's interview with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO of Mubadala. Mubadala is Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund. A sovereign wealth fund is basically an institution that a country sets up to allocate excess capital for future purposes. Think of it like a Cowrywise or Piggyvest for a country.

While Nigeria's sovereign wealth fund, the NSIA (Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority), manages about $3.5bn, Mubadala manages $243bn on behalf of the Abu Dhabi people. I do not need to remind you that Nigeria has a population of 200 million people, while Abu Dhabi is only a city - not even the whole country - with about 1.5 million people.

** side note: Ah, I should have written today about Nigeria as a poor country. I have many random thoughts on the macroeconomics of Nigeria that I should probably research more into and put together. Will do in the future in sha Allah.

Anyhoo, Khaldoon Al Mubarak is a very interesting guy to learn about, and easily one of the most important capital allocators of our generation. Fun fact: He is the Chairman of Manchester City Football Club.

What I'm listening to

I am currently listening to a tafseer of Suratul Naba by Nouman Ali Khan. It is a very old recording, from over 10 years ago before NAK became NAK. Very beneficial stuff for whoever is so inclined.

What I'm reading

I am in the middle of about three books, but the one currently receiving the majority of my attention is The AirBnB Story by Leigh Gallagher.

How did two designers with zero experience in the hotel industry, zero ability to write code, zero access to capital, and zero knowledge of how to run a business revolutionalize an industry and build a $107bn company?

It is quite an interesting story, and one that more of us should learn about. It is also a relatively easy read - no big grammar, not too long, etc. I am taking it in small chunks and maybe will finish in another week.

What I'm thinking about

Employers don't pay what you're worth. They pay what you can get.

** Jara content:

“I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.”

– Neil Armstrong

Have a great week. 💫