I have not written a year-end review in a long time, but 2025 absolutely deserves one.
Finishing My PhD
Including my master’s, I spent nine years at UW. I was happy to graduate, but I also left with regrets. It was not about the number of papers. It was the feeling that I had made no progress over the past few years. Almost all of my colleagues now have more and better publications than I do, but I do not believe there is any gap in our abilities. I simply feel that I should have become more than I am now. Wasting time is unacceptable.
If a PhD is an investment, it is clearly a high-risk one, so perhaps it is not surprising that mine did not produce a high return. What I learned is this: take opportunity cost seriously when making major life decisions, and have the courage to cut your losses when a path is going nowhere.
Work
At the end of June, I joined Meta to work on AI chip architecture. Chip development is much more complicated than software. A product can take thousands of people and several years to go from kickoff to deployment. An architect needs to see the whole system and serve as a bridge between software and hardware. Broad technical knowledge is one part of the job. More importantly, you need to learn how to communicate with people from different fields.
Because the work takes a great deal of experience, this is clearly not a field where you become a “chief scientist” at thirty and make a million dollars a year. On the other hand, you probably will not be pushed out at thirty-five just because of your age.
A senior colleague described success at work along three dimensions. This is how I understand them:
- Get things done: My strength. Deliver quickly and with high quality, and be willing to take on important, difficult work. Build a reputation as someone people can rely on.
- Work with people: My weakness. Instead of exhausting myself trying to master office politics, I would rather be sincere and be myself. A senior colleague told me that being good with people gets you promoted faster, but being good at getting things done gives you more stability. At this point in my career, the latter is clearly more important.
- Figure out the direction: The long-term goal. Understand why the work assigned to me matters. Understand what my manager needs, what the organization needs, and what the company needs. Pay attention to the roadmap, the latest industry developments, SOTA algorithms, and the chips that run them. This takes experience. It cannot be rushed.
I know that hard work is not sufficient for success, but I should still do the best I can within what I control.
Family
Another major change in 2025 was that my wife left her job in China and moved to the United States, ending our long period of living apart. It was a difficult decision for both of us, but we knew that being together was the right choice. We now share a home and build our life together. She handles the endless details of daily life and keeps our little home in order. More importantly, she is the first person I want to tell anything to, and the person I lean on most.
Friction is unavoidable in a marriage, and being a “husband” is a role I need to keep learning. I have realized that the worst habit in a marriage is keeping score: “I did this much. Why didn’t you do your part?” The truth is usually that the other person has also done a lot, and that I am far from perfect. When something goes wrong, the focus should not be on blame, but on how we solve it together.
A marriage also means learning from each other. Rebuilding a career in the United States is a huge challenge for her. Beyond offering encouragement, I should support her through the way I approach my own life and work. If I can do it, she certainly can too.
Life
I ran only a little over 1,900 miles this year and completed three marathons. Only Boston was barely acceptable. Neither the quantity nor the quality was good enough. After all the changes in my life, I never managed to return to consistent training. I was always interrupted by one thing or another. I have noticed that on days when I do not run, both my mood and my efficiency suffer. Perhaps I should care more about consistency than sheer volume or race results.
I also spent much less time on social media this year. Most of that time went to talking with AI instead. Once I was free from the pressure to study for group meetings and papers, I felt the joy of being driven by curiosity again. This is no exaggeration: I now have more motivation and a greater ability to learn than I did at eighteen.
My life is still full of uncertainty: immigration status, career plans, and the future of my family. But after everything that happened this year, I am certain of one thing:
Everything that happens is supposed to happen.
There are no accidents in this world, and that is exactly what makes it interesting.
- Encounter the problem, analyze the problem, solve the problem.
- Be rational and optimistic. Do what we can and accept every outcome.
- Care about specific people and specific things.
- Maintain myself like a car: stay healthy, energetic, and clear-minded.
- Never lose curiosity or the spirit of exploration.
There are still a few hours before 2026, but I already cannot wait.