CAPTN Offscript interview
On building, rebuilding and creating useful things
In a new episode of CAPTN OffScript, Icelandic designer and entrepreneur Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson discusses the decisions that have shaped his life—from building the design agency Ueno and selling it to Twitter in 2021 to restarting the company years later.
The conversation begins with Halli’s decision to structure the sale of Ueno so that he would pay significant taxes in Iceland. He connects that choice to his childhood, growing up in a low-income household with muscular dystrophy, and to the public services that supported him. He also discusses founding Ramp Up, the accessibility initiative working to remove physical barriers for wheelchair users.
Halli reflects on progress, impatience and his belief that the world is shaped by a series of decisions. The episode also revisits his highly public confrontation with Elon Musk, examining the gap between public perception and the more complicated reality behind events that unfold online.
The discussion then turns to Halli’s current work. He explains why he decided to bring Ueno back, what he has learned from watching real people use the products he helps create, and why designers must move beyond attractive presentations and focus on making things that genuinely work. He also considers what artificial intelligence could mean for young designers entering the industry.
Alongside design and entrepreneurship, the episode explores the personal experiences behind Halli’s work. He speaks openly about addiction, getting sober, sharing a studio with his artist wife, becoming a father and the cities that have influenced him. Creativity, he suggests, is partly about constructing a world of your own—and then continuing to rebuild it as life changes.
The result is a wide-ranging conversation about ambition, responsibility and reinvention. More than the story of a successful designer, it is an examination of how difficult experiences can be turned into work that is useful to other people—and why building a meaningful life often means being willing to begin again.
