The Move You Don’t Make
There’s a moment on every climb where the obvious hold leads nowhere. Anthropic built the most capable AI in history — and didn’t release it. Red lines aren’t weaknesses. They’re the route.
Fab’s Friday Field Notes
Week 13 — The Signal
Advising scales. Building doesn’t. In Week 13 I’m wrestling with the shift from fractional advisor to committed builder — and what Anthropic’s $400M Coefficient Bio acquisition tells us about why people and integration are the only moat that matters.
A gang isn’t built — it’s earned
I didn’t always hold the line — sometimes I moved with the room, called it pragmatism. The ethical line isn’t abstract; it’s heavy. And it teaches you one thing the easy choices never do: how to see it before you’re standing on it.
Mapping
I don’t map routes this time — I map ideas. With attention, not certainty.
After injury, after failure, the question is never whether you can climb again. It’s whether you still want to. I still want to.
The effort I put into organising outdoor adventures — the route research, the conditions checking, the preparation — I’m now applying to business. Not as metaphor. As method.
Showing Up, Gently
Fab’s Friday Field Notes (Saturday Edition) These notes are a day late. Yesterday was full — ride, work, climbing, family, friends. In that order. Mostly. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let the week breathe before you write about it. Friday morning. Winchester. December sun pretending it’s April. Craig and I on the … Read More
Reading the Terrain — When Expertise Contradicts Reality
Fab’s Friday Field Notes We had one of our climbing friends over for dinner this week. Beautiful person, exceptional climber, but suffering right now for reasons that have nothing to do with climbing. We didn’t offer advice. We offered dinner, conversation, and laughter. A place at the table. Sometimes the most profound thing you can … Read More
The Adventure Starts at Home
Fab’s Friday Field Notes This week reminded me of something I learned decades ago on la grande cresta with Alessandro Gogna and Marco Milani – that the outdoors doesn’t require epic journeys to distant peaks. Sometimes the most meaningful adventures begin right outside your door. Family Trails Saturday brought one of those simple, perfect moments. … Read More
The Friends We’re Losing
Fab’s Friday Field Notes Note: Publishing Sunday instead of Friday – the whole family caught some bug this week. Which is itself a reminder: presence sometimes means being sick together, not performing productivity. I’ve been thinking about the friends I’m losing. Not through conflict or distance or falling out. Through something quieter and more insidious. … Read More
The Discomfort Zone
Fab’s Friday Field Notes – November 22, 2025 by Fabrizio de Liberali, Southampton, UK Tired fingers typing this after yesterday’s session with Richard and Andy. That steep 6c+ didn’t go until the third attempt—a route that should have been comfortable territory by now. But here’s the thing about comfort: it’s where growth stops. The Mirror … Read More
The Real Race Starts When the Race Ends
November 14th, 2025 Fab’s Friday Field Notes Two weeks ago, I told you about Wines2Whales. Three stages. Three leadership modes. Hold back, push ahead, reunite. This week I learned something harder: finishing the race was just the warm-up. Eleven Hours That Rewired My Brain Cape Town to London. Eleven hours. The universe has a sense … Read More