Daniel Wake-Smith

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First principles thinking

I am driven by technicality and first principles thinking. I like to look beneath the surface, question assumptions and understand how things work at their most fundamental level.

I'm training as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant (ACA) and am set to qualify in 2027 at the age of 22. Alongside finance, I spend much of my time building software. This combination gives me a rare perspective of understanding both the financial problem and how to build the software to solve it.

Away from work, I have learnt Spanish to B2 proficiency and continue to have regular lessons to reach fluency. I love to travel, particularly in Asia, having recently returned from Hong Kong and Vietnam. In 2025 I completed an Ironman 70.3 in Switzerland and I am competing in the Texas 70.3 in April, 11 months after ACL reconstruction.

Accountancy

I believe accountancy is moving beyond backward looking reporting. With the right financial systems and automations in place, businesses can have a real time view of their finances rather than waiting for historic reports.

That data can then be delivered through live dashboards and bespoke applications built around the way a business actually operates. However, real time insights are only as valuable as the financial infrastructure beneath it.

Software

When I started learning to program, one idea from Naval Ravikant shaped how I approached learning.

"It always helps to have knowledge one layer below because you're getting closer to reality."
Naval Ravikant

AI can generate code, but understanding the code gives you control. Understanding software architecture teaches you how to structure systems that remain reliable and maintainable as they grow. Understanding lower level languages, memory and operating systems brings you closer to how that software actually executes. Understanding the hardware underneath gives you an even deeper view of the machine itself.

As AI makes software increasingly accessible, simply being able to produce code becomes less valuable. The advantage lies in knowing how to architect systems properly, make good engineering trade offs and understand what is happening beneath each layer of abstraction.