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Melissa Turner

Basic Info​

  • Location: San Francisco, CA (South Park area)
  • Role/Occupation: Manager of Operations at Daylight Computer
  • Met: Edge City Denver event in March 2024 (hosted by Gary)
  • Living Situation: Lives with Rebecca at Nautilus house, run by Zelda Poem

Professional Background​

  • Current Role: Manager of Operations at Daylight Computer
  • Company Focus: Environmental computing company, developing daylight tablets
  • Recent Pivot: Company pivoting to target homeschool market (Daylight Kids), focusing on red states with education voucher programs
  • Key Responsibilities: Building operations, facilities management (handled office fire incident), marketing to Mormon/homeschool communities
  • Previous Experience: Extensive background in operations and community building

Personal Background​

  • Living Arrangement: Shares loft space with Rebecca at Nautilus house in SF
  • Housemates: Neil (Indian, popular community connector), Zelda Poem (founder) and her boyfriend live next door
  • Values: Prioritizes authentic community building, real experiences over status signaling
  • Philosophy: "Let go and let God" approach, values balance over grind culture

Key Projects & Interests​

  • Nautilus House: Living in experimental community space run by young polymath accelerator
  • Community Building: Passionate about creating authentic gathering spaces and real connections
  • Space Design: Works with Rebecca on designing community spaces that foster genuine interaction
  • High-Profile Hosting: Has hosted Tyler Cowan and other notable figures for dinners

Interaction History​

November 2, 2025: Career and Spiritual Journey Video Call​

  • Context: Reconnection call after meeting at Edge City Denver in March 2024
  • Gary's Updates: Shared AI bootcamp experience, spiritual sabbatical, recent baptism, and job search in SF
  • Melissa's Updates: Discussed challenges at Daylight Computer, plans to leave by end of year, living situation at Nautilus
  • Key Topics Discussed:
    • Job market difficulties with AI filtering applications
    • SF culture focused on money/status vs. soulfulness
    • Real spaces and authentic community as antidote to tech soullessness
    • Church scene in SF (Epic Church near South Park Commons)
    • Future of community building and "real experiences"
    • Gary's family situation and spiritual journey

March 2024: Edge City Denver​

  • Context: First meeting at Gary's hosted Edge City Denver event
  • Initial Connection: Met during community building/tech event in Denver

Strategic Value & Collaboration Areas​

  • SF Community Access: Well-connected in SF tech/community building scene
  • Operational Expertise: Strong background in building and managing operations
  • Community Building: Deep understanding of creating authentic gathering spaces
  • Network: Connected to influential people in SF tech scene (Tyler Cowan, etc.)
  • Potential Collaboration: Weekly dinner club if Gary moves to SF, introductions to SF community

Connections & Network​

  • Rebecca: Roommate and creative collaborator on space design
  • Neil: Housemate, popular community connector who can "synthesize meetings out of nothing"
  • Zelda Poem: Nautilus founder, though Melissa has concerns about her experience level
  • Tyler Cowan: Has hosted him for dinner at Nautilus
  • Daylight Computer Team: Professional network in environmental computing
  • SF Community Building Scene: Well-connected in authentic community spaces

Notes & Observations​

  • Communication Style: Direct, thoughtful, values authentic conversation over networking
  • Decision-Making: Practical and strategic, knows when to leave situations that don't align
  • Values Alignment: Strong alignment on importance of soulful community vs. status-driven culture
  • Spiritual Openness: Open to spiritual conversations, familiar with church scene in SF
  • Work Ethic: Values honest work but rejects grind culture, seeks meaningful engagement
  • Independence: Maintains financial stability while pursuing authentic community involvement

Current Challenges & Opportunities​

  • Job Transition: Planning to leave Daylight Computer by end of 2025 due to misalignment with company direction
  • Living Situation: Navigating Zelda's inexperience as Nautilus founder while appreciating the community
  • Career Direction: Wants to do her own thing but open to learning opportunities at other companies
  • AI Job Market: Experiencing difficulty with AI-filtered job applications despite qualifications

Key Quotes & Insights​

"I'm either all in or I'm not in. And if I'm not in, then I feel very, like, challenged and bored and like almost, like, desperate in a sense."

"There's so many soulless institutions and buildings and, you know, communities that are really grifting."

"People are craving something that they have a really difficult time building themselves... these real experiences, these real environments, these real magical comings together of people."

"I feel like San Francisco needs Gary Sheng."

Future Plans​

  • Career: Planning to leave Daylight Computer by end of 2025, exploring own ventures or learning opportunities
  • Entrepreneurship: Interested in starting own projects, has "good luck and good graces with the universe"
  • Community Building: Continuing involvement in authentic community spaces and events
  • Potential SF Life: Open to weekly dinner club and community building if Gary moves to SF

Recent Developments (November 2025)​

  • Daylight Computer Critique: Increasingly concerned about company's pivot to targeting homeschool market with expensive tablets ($800) without proper understanding of audience
  • Office Fire Management: Successfully handled office arson fire incident, demonstrating crisis management skills
  • Nautilus Evaluation: Grateful didn't leave paying job for Zelda's uncertain venture, maintaining financial stability while participating in community
  • SF Community Insights: Observing trend toward real spaces and authentic experiences as response to tech industry soullessness
  • Church Exploration: Aware of Epic Church near her location, noting tech leaders like Gary (Weiss CEO) and Emmet Sher attend

Potential Collaboration Areas​

  • SF Community Integration: Could facilitate Gary's introduction to authentic SF community building scene
  • Operational Consulting: Her crisis management and operations experience could be valuable for scaling ventures
  • Event Hosting: Experience hosting high-profile figures could support summit or community events
  • Real Space Development: Shared interest in creating authentic gathering spaces vs. "soulless institutions"
  • Weekly Dinner Club: Immediate collaboration opportunity if Gary moves to SF
  • Network Introductions: Access to SF tech scene through authentic community rather than status-driven networking

Transcripts​

transcript-iddateone-line-summary
2025-11-02-gary-melissa-turner-career-spiritual-journeyNovember 2, 2025Career transitions and SF community building reflections