2026-02-16T20:30:56+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io Giridhar Balachandran gb555@cornell.edu 2026-02-16T00:00:00+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io/2026/02/16/openclaw-founder-openai-move <p>The OpenClaw founder is lowkey just mad about the naming thing of Clawdbot, which is why he went with OpenAI. He’s just being smart about switching to Codex - it’s just him being pissed. Bullish on Anthropic’s long term vision and goals.</p> 2026-02-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io/2026/02/10/i-fell-behind <p>Talk about aristotle (wanting to build it).</p> <p>My openclaw setup.</p> 2026-02-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io/2026/02/10/rip-vertical-saas <p>rip vertical saas in 2026. enterprises will have their own vertical teams (potentially with ai) that do everything custom for them. why do i need to trust another team to do this?</p> 2026-02-10T00:00:00+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io/2026/02/10/saas-is-dead <p>Talking about hwo I believe custom solutions will exist for every company. No one will buy SaaS anymore. Cloud + AI is all you need to buy.</p> 1999-07-25T00:00:00+00:00 https://ctrlaltgiri.github.io/1999/07/25/this-is-me <p>I’m <em>Giridhar Balachandran</em>. My friends call me GiriB, Giri, Jordi.</p> <p>I’ve basically grown up with computers. My mom still says I’m “Y2K compliant” because she was fixing the Y2K bug while pregnant with me. (Yes, that’s the origin story.)</p> <p>I was that kid, sneaking in 30 minutes of Road Rash and <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2229850/Command__Conquer_Red_Alert_2_and_Yuris_Revenge/">Red Alert II</a> after school which was pure dopamine.</p> <p><img src="/assets/blogs/1999/this-is-me/childhood-computer.jpeg" alt="Childhood photo of me playing road rash" /></p> <p>My first programming experience was with HTML. I convinced my parents to get me a “Programming with HTML” book, since the only rule was to read for 30 minutes before bed and my choice of book was clear. From there, I just kept building.</p> <p>My uncle one day installed K9 Protection to “keep me safe.” Translation: no YouTube. So I got scrappy. Learned about keystroke logging, dug up some C code, ran it, and waited for him to type the password. Boom—barriers down. This was my first real “problem solved with software.”</p> <p><img src="/assets/blogs/1999/this-is-me/k9.webp" alt="K9 Web Protection" /></p> <p>When I realized I wanted to work in Software was after my first Google search. It was magical. Google used to show how many seconds it took to find something in the right corner - 0.000034323 seconds. For a kid who didn’t understand CPUs, networking or even how the internet worked, that number was still magical to me. I wanted to work for Google.</p> <p>These are some of the experiences that have shaped me to the person I am today. Still curious, still learning everyday.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Reach out if you want to talk about building products in AI, enterprise software or even a quick debate on the UFC GOAT.</em></p>