50. ⁠The moment a negotiation stops being rational | Sam Liu

In this episode of Gentle Power, we talk with Sam Liu, founder of AI startup Fergana Labs and former Stanford PhD student in decision making.We originally invited Sam on because we love both PhD dropouts and decision making science. What we didn’t expect was how many of his insights about negotiation had less to do with neat frameworks and more to do with how messy real decisions actually are.Our conversation spans startup risk, taxi negotiations in Thailand, poker, game theory, and the emotional tension at the center of many negotiations.Sam shares why many big life decisions build quietly over time before becoming obvious all at once, why many career risks are actually social risks, and why the hardest part of negotiating is often simply holding your ground while the other side reacts.We also discuss when negotiations truly become zero sum, why conviction can shape outcomes more than benchmarks, and what game theory teaches us about long term relationships and cooperation.Learn more about Sam and his company here:• Sam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samzliu• Fergana Labs website: https://ferganalabs.comFor more:• Book free consultation call with Alex: ⁠https://calendly.com/alexhapki/call• Get our free negotiation worksheet: ⁠https://www.yournegotiations.com• Read our weekly newsletter: https://yournegotiations.kit.com• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/yournegotiations• Gerta's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertamalaj• Alex's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhapki