About Me

Hi, I'm Kaighn Kevlin. I'm a Software Engineer at Google living in the West Village. I grew up in North Carolina and went to Duke for Math and CS.

Ever since 8th grade, I wanted to be an economist. I have always been fascinated by exploring the inner workings of society, and I tend to see the world in terms of incentives, game theory, and utility maximization. Because of that, you might be tempted to write me off as a standard tech-bro rationalist—but the truth is, I'm a big feeler.

My rationalism was a defense mechanism. When you grow up with an alcoholic mother and a sister with bipolar disorder who believes she can talk to God, you need a way to make sense of the chaos. I lost my parents in high school and college, and my sister later on. Through all of that, school was my safe space. It was a refuge that offered structured feedback, infinite potential for learning, and a community of teachers and classmates I genuinely loved.

I still love learning, which is why this blog exists. This is a place for me to explore ideas, share what I've learned, and invite feedback and criticism. There is something uniquely motivating about working in the public square. I want to write about everything—from my frustrations with math education to the hard, vulnerable parts of my life. When I was navigating my own grief, I remember how incredibly lonely it felt. I wished people opened up more so we could learn from each other and find comfort in shared experiences. I hope this site can be a small piece of that.

I am also deeply motivated by a frustration with gatekept knowledge. In college, I took a class called Existentialist Cinema. Half the time, it was a profound experience; the other half, the professor (who I suspect did a lot of drugs back in the day) just chained word associations and told random stories about actors. But it opened my eyes to films like Rashomon, Breathless, and Vertigo. I realized how much depth I would have missed—and how I probably never would have watched them in the first place—without that guided analysis. When I graduated, I was struck by how high-level movie analysis is locked away in paid academic journals. Movies are supposed to be an accessible art form, yet truly understanding what the hell Blow-Up was about is hidden behind a paywall. That irks me to no end.

More than anything, I love education and connection. When I'm not writing or coding, you can find me in NYC, fostering cats, and hanging out with friends.

Disclaimer: All views, opinions, and projects shared on this site are my own and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer.