Flight debrief: truth or April Fools’ 🐟
April 2, 2026
truth or April Fools’ questions🐟
April 1 is the best day to tell the whole truth about Leonid Bugaev. Or Bugayev?
first riddle post: here
truth or April Fools Fools’ jokes 🐟
1) The family lineage traces back to Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev.
❌ Not true. But the name coincidence sometimes leads to funny questions.
2) His patronymic is indeed Flegontovich .
❌ Not true. But that is my father’s patronymic — a lifelong family legend.
3) He is acquainted with Keith Ferrazzi .
✅ True. Networking is when the author of your favorite book becomes a real contact.
4) Once gave a lecture in a train compartment on the Moscow–Novosibirsk route.
✅ True. If there are people, time, and a topic — there will be a lecture.
5) Wrote a book on mobile marketing long before it became mainstream.
✅ True. Printed books sometimes get ahead of digital trends.
6) Was a mentor to a neural network before it became intelligent.
❌ Not true. Though sometimes it feels like people are harder to train than algorithms.
7) Once taught mobile marketing on a ski slope.
✅ True. Lectures at altitude — in the most literal sense. (Hi Misha, Lesha, Yulia — MdDay conferences were great!)
8) Was invited to one of his first events by Alexey Kekulov .
✅ True. Good networking often starts with a single invitation.
9) Spoke at TEDx about networking and people.
✅ True. The red circle, the lights, the stories — and a bit of nerves included. (I spoke three times, on different topics.)
Leonid Bugaev’s first TEDx talk
10) Lives in Armenia while working on projects and with clients worldwide.
✅ True. Geography changes, but connections and projects stay global.
11) Can distinguish seven shades of blue by brand name.
❌ Not true (or not tested yet). But a marketer’s professional bias leans that way.
12) Knows Alex Levitas , having met him in Thailand through mutual acquaintances on the island of Phangan.
✅ True. Some of the most valuable connections begin far from meeting rooms.
13) All the books on the shelf in his office are about sales and marketing.
❌ Not true. There’s also room for history, biographies, and books “for the soul.”
14) Discussed the future of technology with Esther Dyson and then gave her a ride around Moscow.
✅ True. Sometimes big conversations about the future continue in a car.
15) Discussed influence and persuasion with Robert Cialdini and afterward became more cautious with the “buy” button.
✅ True. After such meetings, you see both sales and your own decisions differently.
16) Lost two dots in his surname somewhere along the way between passports and countries.
✅ True. Bureaucracy can do strange things to letters — and you end up living with a new spelling.
How many did you guess right — and which one surprised you the most? Write in the comments!
