You've heard this phrase floated around, but what does it mean really and how does it compare to other positions?

Here's what it means:

Strong opinions, weakly held

Have conviction but adapt when presented with solid, credible evidence.

The 'solid, credible evidence' is the important part. It doesn’t mean that you have strong opinions and are persuaded to change your opinion by a weak argument.

Having strong opinions means you need to be bold, unafraid of conflicts and differing opinions, while being open to change when presented with stronger evidence.

Example: A developer arguing for a certain coding practice, but changing their stance when presented with a well-reasoned counter-argument.

Strong opinions, strongly held

This makes you inflexible and no new fact can budge you.

You're essentially just a rock brain with no learning curve. You know what you know and everyone else is wrong.

This type of position shows high ego, high narcissism, and inability to change.

Example: A manager refusing to consider remote work options, despite evidence of its effectiveness in other organizations.

Weak opinions, strongly held

You're unbending on inconsequential matters, opinions that don’t matter. What’s the point of it even?

You're a stickler for the smallest things that no one cares about.

Might as well be in the last bucket at this point.

Example: Insisting on using a specific brand of coffee in the office, even though it doesn't significantly impact productivity or morale.

Weak opinions, weakly held

You're just coasting through in life, caught in the cosmic tide, without making any real impact.

If that's your vibe, then sure, you do you.

Example: Casually agreeing with popular opinions without any personal conviction or willingness to defend the stance.

Everyone's been here at some point in their life, but it is important to strive for the 'strong opinions, weakly held' mindset.

Speaking of which, it's also the best way to learn (on the internet)

Cunningham's Law states that the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer.

Say something with enough conviction (especially on Twitter/X) and you'll find an army of people wanting to correct you. If you're adaptable, you can learn from the feedback. If you're not, then you just start a flame war (and get some good engagement in the process)

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, embracing 'strong opinions, weakly held' allows for personal growth and adaptability, fostering an environment of learning and open-mindedness. Strive for this approach in life and work, as it promotes constructive discussions and progress. Remember to stay curious and receptive to new information, and avoid falling into the trap of inflexibility.

---

📘 What you should read

After Elon acquired Twitter, the platform has been stripped of its identity and soul, with tweets now posts, retweets now reposts, and a bunch of X-ification of the platform. There are good things that have come out of the Elon buy though, like the creator monetization through ad-revenue share.

Eugene Wei, one of my favorite tech writers, writes a poetic eulogy on Twitter that's worth reading.

How to blow up a timeline - by Eugene Wei (32 min read)

🎧 What you should listen to

I'm digging the AI-themed podcast called Overpowered with Tanmay Bhat and Varun Mayya. In this episode, they discuss OpenAI's Code Interpreter and Claude 2 (that powers rix.chat)

📱 What apps you should use

One-sec app — If you get distracted by social apps on your phone like me and want to control the urge, one-sec app is the perfect app to solve this problem. The premise is simple. You first configure whichever are distracting apps. Whenever you open the apps, there is a 10-sec delay between the tap and opening the app. In that time you can choose to quit the app if it was just an impulse open. The friction has greatly reduced my time spent on Instagram. Highly recommend!

🚀 What I've shipped

Since the last newsletter (a while ago!) ending up shipping a bunch of high-impact features at Hashnode including a whole new redesign of Hashnode, editing scheduled posts, generating AI Twitter threads and LinkedIn posts, Community Likes, Table of contents redesign, Sign-up modal on blogs, and a bunch of smaller features.

A lot of interesting features coming up that make Hashnode more relevant and personalized for you, and become a place where developers share knowledge and engage in meaningful discussions.

---

That's it for today, thanks for reading!

Do you have a product question for me? Comment below and I'll reply to you.

Talk to you soon!

— Kavir

P.S. Hit the subscribe button if you liked it! You’ll get insightful posts like this directly in your email inbox every week.