# obsidian: people

> shida li, erica xu, and steph ango — who they are, what they wrote, and what they believe.

## the people

- shida li (co-founder, licat): co-founder and cto. waterloo software engineering (2012–17, graduation unconfirmed), nokia imaging hackathon winner in 2013, then linkedin and dropbox. before obsidian he wrote minecraft plugins — orebfuscator and openinv — and built the sync and storage engines under dynalist and obsidian. the least public of the three: his philosophy is expressed architecturally, and his forum answers are the record. (sources: [shida li](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lishid), [lishid profile and repos](https://github.com/lishid), [second-year students victorious at nokia imaging hackathon](https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/news/second-year-students-victorious-nokia-imaging-hackathon-lund), [about the makers](https://talk.dynalist.io/t/about-the-makers/98), [u/licat.json](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Licat.json))
- erica xu (co-founder, silver): co-founder and the early product voice. met li at waterloo; ran community, design, and user-facing work while he did 'the hardcore engineering part.' wrote the closed-source rationale, named the product, coined 'ide for thought,' and seeded the forum herself — user #2, invited by licat. today she keeps silverland, a public obsidian publish garden. (sources: [erica xu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaxu), [exploring the power of note-making with the co-founder of obsidian](https://nesslabs.com/obsidian-featured-tool), [u/silver.json](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Silver.json), [start here — silverland](https://ericaxu.com/Start+here), [about the makers](https://talk.dynalist.io/t/about-the-makers/98))
- steph ango (ceo, kepano): ceo since february 6, 2023 — the hawaiianized form of stéphane. biology and industrial design at colorado college and artcenter; built inkodye (sun-developed dye), co-founded lumi (packaging, acquired by narvar in 2021), then wrote the most-installed obsidian theme on the side. he pitched the founders, not the reverse. ink & switch is an intellectual neighbor, not an employer — no evidence he worked there. (sources: [about me](https://stephango.com/about), [i'm joining obsidian full-time as ceo](https://obsidian.md/blog/kepano-ceo/), [steph ango](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephango), [obsidian ceo steph ango on productivity software and notes apps](https://www.theverge.com/decoder-podcast-with-nilay-patel/760522/obsidian-ceo-steph-ango-kepano-productivity-software-notes-app), [twenty in their 20s: jesse genet and stephan ango](https://labusinessjournal.com/news/weekly-news/twenty-their-20s-jesse-genet-and-stephan-ango/))
- liam cain (team): the third member — joined the founders early and shows up in the 2021 obsidian october judging roster alongside mgmeyers and kepano. (sources: [crazy fun fact about obsidian](https://francescod.medium.com/crazy-fun-fact-about-obsidian-9459f4aaf7ec), [obsidian october 2021](https://obsidian.md/blog/2021-obsidian-october-announcement/))
- johannes theiner (team, joethei): plugin reviewer and developer on the obsidian team since july 2022 — the human gate the community plugin queue passed through before the automated reviews. (sources: [joethei profile](https://github.com/joethei/joethei), [johannes theiner](https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannes-theiner))
- rebbecca bishop (team, sigrunixia): customer experience specialist — docs and support, the person on the other end of the inbox. (sources: [sigrunixia profile](https://github.com/sigrunixia), [credits](https://obsidian.md/help/credits))

## writings

- 2023-07-01 — file over app (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the three-word strategy — your files should outlive the app that edits them. the essay that turned obsidian's architecture into a philosophy and traveled far beyond the pkm world. [source](https://stephango.com/file-over-app)
  > "apps are ephemeral, but your files have a chance to last."
  > "the file is the source of truth, not the application."
- 2024-02-10 — 100% user-supported (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the anti-vc manifesto — why obsidian takes no investor money, and why a durable file format beats an open codebase when the incentives are wrong. [source](https://stephango.com/vcware)
  > "file over app is more important than open source."
- 2023-10-27 — quality software deserves your hard-earned cash (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the case for paying independent developers — the economics essay the obsidian business model is built to deserve. [source](https://stephango.com/quality-software)
  > "quality software deserves your hard-earned cash."
- 2022-10-09 — calmness is a superpower (essay, kepano, stephango.com): calm software as an engineering and design value — the temperament obsidian's steady release cadence performs. [source](https://stephango.com/calmness)
  > "calmness is a foundation that you can build anything on top of."
- 2022-10-18 — photoshop for text (essay, kepano, stephango.com): local-llm text filters — 'synthscribing' prose the way photoshop filters images. the ambition essay that anticipated the local-ai argument obsidian now leans on. [source](https://stephango.com/photoshop-for-text)
  > "language models need to be local to the device so that they can be private, offline and future-proof."
- 2022-07-23 — a camera for ideas (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the essay that coined 'synthography' — synthetic images as photography for ideas. [source](https://stephango.com/synthography)
- 2025-10-20 — use the saw, fear the saw (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the powerful-tools stance applied to ai — use the saw, fear the saw. capability and caution held together. [source](https://stephango.com/saw)
- 2025-07-31 — if you're remote, ramble (essay, kepano, stephango.com): obsidian's no-meetings remote culture — long unstructured 'rambles' instead of scheduled calls. [source](https://stephango.com/ramblings)
- 2022-09-17 — evergreen notes turn ideas into objects (essay, kepano, stephango.com): the matuschak-derived pitch for evergreen notes — ideas as objects that accumulate. [source](https://stephango.com/evergreen-notes)
- 2023-08-07 — in good hands (essay, kepano, stephango.com): omakase trust in software — letting a tool's maker cook, and what a user is owed in return. [source](https://stephango.com/in-good-hands)
- 2023-09-03 — style is consistent constraint (essay, kepano, stephango.com): his personal rules list — style as the residue of consistent constraint, the design principle behind minimal and flexoki. [source](https://stephango.com/style)
- 2023-09 — how i use obsidian (document, kepano, stephango.com): the ceo shows his vault — a fractal journaling template that looks nothing like the influencer setups. the most-cited 'how the ceo takes notes' document. [source](https://stephango.com/vault)
- 2016-10-20 — 40 questions to ask yourself every year (essay, kepano, stephango.com): metafilter-inspired annual self-interview — translated by readers into 35 languages. [source](https://stephango.com/40-questions)
- 2023-02-06 — i'm joining obsidian full-time as ceo (post, kepano, obsidian.md): the ceo letter — a theme author and user pitches the founders rather than the reverse, and the company gains its public voice. [source](https://obsidian.md/blog/kepano-ceo/)
  > "there are no investors pushing us to compromise on these values."
- 2023-06-01 — the new obsidian icon (post, kepano, obsidian.md): his first company byline — the gem icon, the knapping metaphor, and the first official stats. [source](https://obsidian.md/blog/new-obsidian-icon/)
- 2025-08-18 — how the head of obsidian went from superfan to ceo (interview, kepano, the verge / decoder): the nilay patel show, guest-hosted by casey newton — how a superfan became ceo, and the full transcript of the obsidian thesis. [source](https://www.theverge.com/decoder-podcast-with-nilay-patel/760522/)
- 2023 — evergreen notes with stephan ango (metamuse ep. 81) (podcast, kepano, metamuse): evergreen notes on the muse podcast — team of six full-time, and the admission that 'tools for thought' as a label rubs him wrong. [source](https://museapp.com/podcast/81-evergreen-notes/)
- 2025 — tools for amplifying our light (dialectic ep. 8) (podcast, kepano, dialectic): the long-form biography interview — inkodye, lumi, narvar, obsidian, and the light-amplifying frame. [source](https://jacksondahl.com/dialectic/steph-ango)
- 2025 — the other stuff #28 — kepano (interview, kepano, internetvin / youtube): the name origin — kepano is hawaiianized stéphane — plus kepiano, furniture, and the cookie recipe. [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8vec3BuOnk)
- 2023 — fireside chat with @kepano (interview, kepano, linking your thinking): nick milo's fireside chat — team vaults and shared defaults inside the company. [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8SWe0YrVWI)
- 2023 — the future of obsidian (fork my brain) (interview, kepano, fork my brain): nicole van der hoeven's livestream on the future of obsidian — with her published prep notes. [source](https://www.youtube.com/live/TkNTuFF2t-c)
- 2021 — future commerce interview (podcast, kepano, future commerce): the lumi-era interview — well made, slash packaging, and the dtc supply chain before obsidian. [source](https://futurecommerce.fm/podcasts/)
- 2018 — new disruptors ep. 101 — shipping is violence (podcast, kepano, new disruptors): 'shipping is violence' — the lumi episode on what physical logistics do to software people. [source](https://newdisrupt.org/blog/2018/9/27/episode-101-shipping-is-violence)
- 2018 — giant robots ep. 286 (podcast, kepano, thoughtbot): the thoughtbot podcast — lumi's stack and why he was writing purescript for a packaging company. [source](https://giantrobots.fm/286)
- n.d. — why we should return to a local-first culture (talk, kepano, youtube): the japan riff — why the oldest companies on earth are local-first in spirit, and what software lost. [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-RLzZRaCq0)
- 2021 — exploring the power of note-making (ness labs) (interview, erica, ness labs): the definitive erica xu interview — the product's origins, the code-editor inspiration, and the scratch-your-own-itch universality argument. [source](https://nesslabs.com/obsidian-featured-tool)
  > "obsidian is the ide for thought."
  > "the extensibility of code editors inspired us."
  > "in a way, this verifies that no matter how weird you are, there might be millions out there who are just like you!"
- 2020-08-04 — open sourcing of obsidian (forum answer) (post, erica, obsidian forum): the four-point closed-source rationale — a small team, plugin freedom over sandboxing, and file-format openness as the answer to lock-in fears. [source](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/1515)
- 2020-08-27 — why is obsidian named so? (post, erica, obsidian forum): the canonical name explanation — molten thought cooled into glass, plus minecraft's hardest block. [source](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/4837)
  > "if your raw, unstable thoughts are lava, then obsidian is… well, obsidian. it is your crystallized (and beautiful) knowledge."
- 2021-07-01 — last chance to get early bird discount (post, erica, obsidian.md): the early-bird wind-down — and in the same breath, honest guidance to free alternatives like icloud and git. the pricing post as a trust instrument. [source](https://obsidian.md/blog/last-chance-to-get-early-bird/)
- 2021-12-15 — live preview update (post, erica, obsidian.md): the live preview update — the biggest editor change in the product's history, in her voice. [source](https://obsidian.md/blog/live-preview-update/)
- 2025-06-12 — on understanding (essay, erica, silverland): the feynman-influenced epistemics essay on silverland — life as a game of predict. [source](https://ericaxu.com/Articles/On+Understanding)
  > "understanding cannot be transmitted through words."
- current — start here — silverland (document, erica, silverland): her public obsidian publish garden — the education critique, the pattern-and-forces worldview, 172 of 1000 dishes cooked. [source](https://ericaxu.com/Start+here)
  > "public education was formed to produce obedient factory workers, and that tradition stuck. it's time to think for ourselves again."
- 2016-11 — about the makers (dynalist forum) (post, shida, dynalist forum): the autobiographical forum post — the waterloo years, the craft split, and why dynalist existed. [source](https://talk.dynalist.io/t/about-the-makers/98)
  > "erica leads our design efforts as well as most of our user-facing work."
- 2020-10 — the plugin-security answer (forum) (post, shida, obsidian forum): the engineering posture behind the whole trust model — plugin power over sandboxing, stated before the first controversy ever arrived. [source](https://forum.obsidian.md/search.json?q=%40Licat)
  > "there is absolutely no secure way to run plugins without severely crippling the plugin api."
- 2024-08-24 — the august 2024 outage postmortem (post, shida, discord via lemmy): the five-hour outage postmortem, posted in discord — a forced reboot plus a misconfigured auto-restart took sync, publish, login, and signup down together. [source](https://blorp.ani.social/home/posts/https%3A%2F%2Fdiscuss.tchncs.de%2Fpost%2F20931466)

## controversies


AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.

Canonical page: https://hraness.com/obsidian/people


Published by @ben in profile revision 1.
Original document: https://hraness.com/obsidian/people
Original credited author: Hraness
AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.

## Structured source and record data

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cash","type":"community","url":"https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40389604"},{"author":"karlos obsidian tutorials","id":"source-e35a845e770e2004bc4e","note":"526k views — the kepano-vault essay reaching video scale.","originalId":"src-c-yt-karlos-ceo","published":{"precision":"month","text":"2025-12"},"publisher":"youtube","title":"how the ceo of obsidian takes his notes (underrated genius)","type":"community","url":"https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dq3R3uS0sQ4"}]}
````