Founder and CEO
John Thomas Connor
Debate changed the direction of my life. I'm building SuperDebate so more people can discover what happens when their ideas are taken seriously and tested.
How debate changed my life.
At 15, I was growing up on Chicago’s South Side, captaining the football team and reading Nietzsche and Plato. A history teacher sent me to the debate coach.
The full account, in John’s wordsA first varsity round
The precision drew me in. I wanted to defend difficult positions against serious challenge.
City-wide varsity champion
Three years later, debate carried me to college on a full scholarship.
What debate taught me.
- Research · Challenge · Decide
Think under pressure
Debate taught me to research unfamiliar ideas, find the real clash, and make a decision while someone intelligent was pushing back.
- Other view · Strongest case · Empathy
Test an unfamiliar idea
Arguing positions I did not hold taught me the hard form of empathy: the discipline of understanding a worldview before answering it.
- Question · Test · Revise
Build with curiosity
Learn quickly, find the hidden assumption, stress-test the plan, and keep showing up.
Before SuperDebate
A decade building products.
I spent the next decade building products, advising technology companies and leading teams, from marketplaces to AI strategy and Web3.
View John’s professional background- 2021-2024
Sparkblox
- 2020-2021
Upland.me
- 2019-2020
ModeMobile
Why I’m building SuperDebate.
SuperDebate brings that practice into local clubs, live events, and online conversations. A prepared argument, a fair chance to answer, and useful feedback make the next round worth trying.