World's Best Flashcard Auditing Software
After I was laid off from Google in January of 2023, I took the severance money and wandered the planet for more than two years trying to figure out what to do with my life. I spent most of that time living out of a backpack with my girlfriend (now wife), visiting 15 different countries across the globe.
Along the way, I read a ton of books, grinded Leetcode, bouldered, earned my blue in BJJ, and explored many new curiosities. Underpinning all of these activities was a daily habit of using Anki flashcards. This period of my life was deeply profound and character-forming for me.
During my travels, I had an enormous amount of personal time to think. I took countless long walks in strange places observing different cultures and landscapes. Some of the topics I frequently pondered include epistemology, pedagogy, and flashcards. What makes a “good” flashcard? What makes a “bad” one? What things are worth memorizing? What does it even mean to know anything at all?
In 2025, we returned to the US so that I could take up an engineering position at a wonderful education technology company. I love working here because I'm building technology that improves the overall wellbeing of its users. I've since come to view education as the most critical technology sector for the future of humanity. When we die, our kids will be in charge next. Don't we need to to ensure they have the greatest chance of survival?
In my spare time outside of work, I began implementing a tool that took my personal opinions about flashcards and applied them systematically using artificial intelligence. Once I got a prototype working, I was absolutely blown away by the results and began working on a version that could be used by the public. I've since architected a piece of software that is designed to be globally scalable from day one. If my design is sound, I should be able to audit literally every Anki flashcard on the planet Earth, which I very roughly guesstimate to be 10 billion cards.
Anki excites me, because I feel that it's one of the few forms of screentime that is purely beneficial for the user. Reviewing the most important information about your career, education, goals, and curiosities is a reason worth looking at a phone. Unlike other digital distractions, Anki demands active mental effort. It's like push-ups for your brain. This isn't just about flashcards for me, I see this as part of a screentime revolution.
Other than flashcards, my true purpose is to evangelize healthy technology habits for both children and adults. Mastering healthy screen time will be the ultimate superpower of the century and I will spend the rest of my life bringing awareness to the idea that social media is extremely harmful to creativity and focus.
I was born and raised in the islands of Hawai‘i where I grew up surfing and bowhunting. I am a strong proponent for meditation and enforcing screen time habits using self binding software. When I'm not building software, I am likely to be reading, playing soccer, gaming, or enjoying a quiet stroll in nature.
flashcardaudit.com is the most beautiful thing I have ever created and I hope you enjoy using it.
Tyler
“All experience is preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind.”