Ep. 107: Sid Sijbrandij On Beating Cancer with First Principles, n = 1 Personalized Treatments and Special Access Regulatory Pathways

Sid Sijbrandij is the co-founder of GitLab, one of the world’s largest open-source software companies. But in 2022, his life took a radical turn — he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

Instead of relying solely on the medical system, Sid took a different approach. He ran every diagnostic imaginable, developed experimental treatments, combined therapies, and ultimately built his own path to survival — even when doctors ran out of options.

In this episode, we explore how Sid applied first-principles thinking to medicine, why healthcare systems are fundamentally misaligned with patient incentives, and what the future of personalized treatments could look like.