Emem Adjah
I write, I advise, I build small things for fun, and I'll travel a long way for a good meal. Each of these started as a side of my work and became a part of my life. Have a look around.
Author · Advisor
Taste Hunter
Taste Hunter
The Tech Interview, HackedEight of 111
08Build your Adjah Matrix.
22Tailor every resume. Yes, every.
31Let AI draft. Never let it be the source.
73Speak in periods, not question marks.
103Un-bundle the offer: four paychecks wearing one trench coat.
69Lead with the headline.
89Always have questions. So many they run out of clock.
107Know your walk-away point before they know your name.
From the book
The Tech Interview, Hacked
111 Tips for the Business Side of Tech
01The Book
One book for the whole tech job hunt, from first search to signed offer
There is an art to being chosen.
Tech interviews are not only for engineers. The business side has its own unwritten rules for who gets picked, and this is the book that names them: 111 tips across positioning, storytelling, case and behavioral rounds, using AI without losing your voice, negotiating, and reading an offer for what it actually says.
The toolkit holds the templates and worked examples the book builds on.
02The Toolkit
Free. Readers have the link; everyone else fills in a short form
Every tool from the book, in one place.
Seven tools: the Adjah Matrix, the Question Bank, the Professional Diary, the resume pair, a worked JD unzip, two annotated case studies, and the passion grid and mission statement templates. If you have the book, the link is inside. If you don't, tell me a little about where you are and everything unlocks for free. The tools make the most sense with the book beside them, since that's where the guidance lives.
The Adjah Matrix scores the roles you are weighing against what matters to you.
03Culture
A game I built, and the food I travel for
I make things for fun, and I travel the world for food.
Side ACreator
TAXES
DEBT
JOB
LOSS BACK
ACHE THE
BABY $ ♥ o
LOSS BACK
ACHE THE
BABY $ ♥ o
2,789 XPDay #297
Dodging Adulthood
A browser game I designed and shipped on my own domain, as a bit of humor for the less humorous parts of being a grown-up. Taxes, debt, job loss, backaches, and the baby come at you. You grab the money, the joy, and the donuts, and see how far you get today.
Side BTaste Hunter
A tasting menu and a street market stall get the same attention from me, because what I'm after is the room, the experience, and the story behind the plate, and that story can come from anywhere. I write about it, and I'm open to collaborating with restaurants, brands, and institutions who care about depth over hype.
The game is live at dodgingadulthood.com. The food writing is on Substack.
04Humans + AI
A published, citable framework, free to reuse
Where AI belongs, and where it doesn't.
Consequence · reversible to irreversible
Backstage · high stakesControlled automationAI processes. A qualified human independently checks and decides.
Frontstage · high stakesHuman-led, no delegationAI may advise, but it cannot substitute for accountable judgment or lived experience.
Backstage · low stakesAutomate bounded executionObjective, reversible, auditable. Automate freely and QA the errors.
Frontstage · low stakesHuman-authored co-creationAI proposes and drafts. The human supplies intent and final expression.
Backstage processFrontstage representation
Humans first. Empower by default. Automate bounded execution, but never automate accountability.
Published as: Adjah, E. (2026). The Human Surface × Consequence Map: A framework for deciding where AI belongs. Zenodo.
doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21968502
Licensed CC BY 4.0. Reuse and adapt with attribution.
Ask two questions of any AI use: what happens if it is confidently wrong, and will the audience feel handed off to a machine.
05About
Curious by nature, and it has taken me places
I follow what I'm curious about, and it has taken me around the world, through a handful of companies, and into a few corners I never planned on.
The professional side of that curiosity went into how platforms work and how they earn. Most recently I led monetization and auction excellence for YouTube at Google, after business-side roles at Bloomberg, Spotify, LinkedIn, Snap, and X. I wrote The Tech Interview, Hacked because I had sat on both sides of that table and wanted to hand people the rulebook. As an investor and advisor I've backed minority-owned, women-led, and globally minded startups across gaming, wellness, and transportation, and I partner with universities on career development for students entering the industry. Earlier, I served as a political fellow for Barack Obama, worked at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, and taught on a Fulbright in Hong Kong.
The other side of me is creative, and always has been. I love art, beauty, fashion, and a well-made anything, and over time that has turned into the things I give my free hours to: hunting for great food and the stories behind it, teaching and speaking, and building small games for the fun of it.
The thread through all of it is simple. I want to go where I want, do work that stretches me, and enjoy the fruits of it along the way, and I'd like the people around me to feel they can do the same. Some of you found me through the work and some through a meal or a talk. Either way, this is the whole of it. You'll usually find me meandering through a new city in stilettos, collecting passport stamps, memorable meals, beautiful shoes, and the occasional Michelin star.
Whichever side of this brought you here, the contact page is open.