Emin Askerov
Cleantech FOAK Advisor

Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street treats recruitment as an execution discipline rather than an exercise in intuition. The core argument is simple and uncomfortable: most hiring failures are not caused by a lack of talent in the market, but by sloppy decision-making. Interviews reward confidence, charm, and familiarity. Real performance, however, shows up later — in execution, judgment under pressure, and consistency over time. The book proposes a s

Check out my review of Dr. Funk's book, where I highlighted some key takeaways, like why hype has replaced productivity, why consultants always win first, and what it means for anyone evaluating early-stage tech in climate and beyond.

Why are solar projects almost always on time, while nuclear ones spiral out of control? This book has the answers

I’ve just picked up my New Year read—a collection of solarpunk short stories. If you’re wondering, what is solarpunk, and why does it matter?  Here’s the heart of it: “Solarpunk is about finding ways to make life more wonderful for us right now, and more importantly for the generations that follow us—extending human life at the species level, rather than individually.” This line, from the article Solarpunk: Notes Toward a Manifesto,  hits home for me. Whether you’re in renewa

As 2024 wraps up, it’s time to reflect on a year that was anything but dull for the climate tech world. A buzzword dominated this year— FOAK (First-of-a-Kind).  It symbolizes the growing realization that proving your tech in a lab is one thing, but scaling it to a factory is a different beast. Many startups found themselves stuck in the dreaded Valley of Death  between proving a pilot and scaling up. I’ve written a few epitaphs on those who didn’t make it this year ( here , h

If the magnitude of a problem is reflected by the books written about it, which would win?

Running a lithium-ion battery manufacturing company made me question whether we needed a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO). I couldn’t quite pin down a job description at the time, but I had a nagging feeling we did. Now, after diving into the role of CSOs across industries, I see how this position is evolving—and why it’s critical, even as its future in the C-suite might be uncertain. 📚 I read "Chief Sustainability Officers at Work"  by Chrissa Pagitsas in 2023. It is a co

Why read my blog?

How Much to Solve Climate Change? $150 Trillion and Counting