A Brain Injury Taught Him to Rest, and He Still Does on Launch Days
After months unable to use screens, Amol Avasare learned to recover slowly and now takes breaks twice a day and avoids alcohol and caffeine.
Lenny's Podcast: Product | Career | Growth · Head of Growth (Anthropic): “Claude is growing itself at this point” | Amol AvasareIt was a routine practice session, nothing out of the ordinary. Amol Avasare, now head of growth at the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, had trained in mixed martial arts and Muay Thai, a fighting discipline, for years without a serious problem.
Then came what Avasare described as "the wrong hit to the head in the wrong way." In early 2022, that single blow gave him a traumatic brain injury.
He missed nine months of work. For the first two or three months, beyond washing and using the restroom, his wife did almost everything for him, including texting his friends. He could listen to music for maybe 20 seconds before feeling like he needed to vomit, and he could not look at screens at all. It took about half a year before he was comfortable walking again. For a while, he said, it was not clear that he would ever work again.
The long recovery taught him how to work again in small steps, and those habits still shape how he gets through intense days at Anthropic.
He had to slowly expose himself to light, sound, and activity, increasing his tolerance a little at a time. The rule was to increase tolerance slowly and not push too far, or risk a big setback.
After he wrote about his recovery in a newsletter in mid-2023, he was hurt again a month later. While stepping off an aircraft, a piece of luggage struck him on the head in what he described as an innocuous, everyday accident. He said that until a brain injury is fully healed, the risk of another concussion stays elevated, even when recovery feels almost complete.
The timing was difficult. He had joined the financial startup Mercury just a month earlier, and now he needed two more months away.
He says he is still not fully healed, and still works around dizziness, headaches, and other symptoms. Yet Avasare calls the injury "one of the best things that could have happened to me" because it forced habits he keeps. He does not drink alcohol or caffeine for his health, and even during the most hectic stretches, amid model launches and deadlines, he takes a short break between the morning and lunch, and another in the afternoon.
Questions people ask
Why would a brain injury make looking at a screen feel sickening?
After a concussion, the brain has trouble filtering light, motion, and sound. Screens combine bright light, rapid movement, and intense focus, so they can quickly trigger headache, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. Doctors often advise limited screen time early on, followed by gradual exposure.
How long does recovery from a concussion usually take?
Recovery varies widely, from weeks for a mild concussion to months or longer for a severe injury. Doctors generally recommend rest, then a step-by-step return to activity, with setbacks if someone does too much too soon. A second injury before full healing can restart or prolong the process.
Do short breaks during the workday actually help the brain?
Yes, planned rest breaks can help manage mental fatigue, headaches, and trouble concentrating. For brain injury recovery, clinicians often recommend frequent, brief pauses and a gradual increase in cognitive activity. Even without an injury, short breaks during demanding desk work are linked to better focus and mood.