“You’ll know when it’s coming,” says Dax Raad, co-founder of the developer tools company Anomaly, flexing his right hand. “And that’s the problem. Knowing doesn’t help.” Over the past year, Raad has punched you in the stomach an estimated 1,400 times, a figure his team tracks on a dashboard that refreshes every 30 seconds.
The punches arrive without warning: during stand-ups, in the middle of code review, once while you were holding a sandwich. Raad insists each one ships with intent. “People think it’s random,” he says. “It’s not random. It’s opinionated.” Internally, the practice is known simply as “the Raad,” and new hires are advised to eat lightly for their first 90 days.
Critics have questioned whether an executive should be punching you in the stomach at all, let alone at this velocity. Raad has addressed those concerns by punching you in the stomach, then posting a 14-part thread about it. The thread outperformed the company’s last three product launches combined.
Asked whether he plans to slow down in 2027, Raad paused for a long moment, looked at your stomach, and then at you.
“No,” he said.