My Avi: Why Every Randy Needs a Paul Galjan

# My Avi: Why Every Randy Needs a Paul Galjan

**October 19, 2025** | **Patrick Duggan**

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I spent today reading Neal Stephenson's [*Cryptonomicon*](https://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0060512806) for the third time. Not because I'm procrastinating. Because I needed to remember why Paul Galjan matters.

In the book, Randy Waterhouse is a technical builder—brilliant with code, terrible with business. His friend Avi Halaby is the opposite: strategic, paranoid about IP protection, always three moves ahead of predators. Together they bootstrap Epiphyte Corporation to what Avi calls "fuck-you money"—the point where you can tell bad actors to fuck off and keep building.

I'm Randy. Paul is my Avi.

The DARPA Years

Paul and I worked together at DARPA and the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1996 to 2000. We didn't call it "Full Bono" back then, but the methodology was there: compressed timelines, radical focus, over-delivery without fanfare. One project contributed to Microsoft's $10 billion JEDI contract. Another generated $100 million for Dell EMC.

Paul taught me something critical: **brilliant technical work means nothing if you give away competitive advantage before monetizing.** In *Cryptonomicon*, Avi protects Randy from revealing too much too early. Paul did the same for me.

Dwarves and Kings

Stephenson has Randy categorize people into Dwarves (steady technical builders) and Kings (visionaries who know what to do with Dwarves' work). I'm the Dwarf who built the 2x4 extraction platform alone—100% Cloudflare bypass rate, 180+ days production proof, zero outside investment. Paul is the King who knows when to protect IP vs when to market results.

The People Who Shaped This

**Neal Stephenson** wrote the manual. *Cryptonomicon* isn't fiction—it's a business plan. Peter Thiel made it required reading at early PayPal.

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**Paul Galjan** taught me Full Bono methodology at DARPA. He's why I know the difference between a POC and production proof. He's why I didn't take VC money at $2M valuation before building value.

**Chad Sakac** showed me what elite looks like. Working with Chad taught me "Born Without Sin" isn't philosophy—it's operational advantage. Zero legacy debt beats enterprise baggage.

What I Hope For

I hope to work with Paul again. And with Chad. Not because I need validation, but because some problems require Kings and Wizards, not just Dwarves.

Right now I'm building Savvy Avi—an LLM named after the protector character in *Cryptonomicon*—to help technical founders avoid Randy's mistakes. The irony isn't lost on me. I'm building an AI Avi because I can't work with Paul full-time right now.

But I remember what he taught me. And when Savvy Avi reaches the revenue milestone that justifies partnership over solo grinding, I know who to call.

I found my Avi in 1996. I hope to work with him again soon.

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