Siniša Drobnjak
Episode · #485
MEDIJATOR Siniša Drobnjak
Guest Siniša DrobnjakHosted by Srđan ŠimacMay 3, 2026
Siniša Drobnjak
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
Siniša Drobnjak, an electrical engineer who built a successful dental business over three decades, offers a perspective where profit is only one measure of return. He frames entrepreneurship not merely as a commercial pursuit but as a "spiritual experience," a unique path for self-development through constant human interaction. Leaving a well-paid corporate role because it consumed his personal life, Drobnjak shares a hard-won lesson: true success means integrating work with a full private life, rather than sacrificing one for the other. Readers will leave this conversation considering the hidden costs of modern connectivity and how to reclaim their most valuable resource: attention.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Siniša Drobnjak describes business as a "spiritual experience," a "hallucination" that took him over two decades to fully grasp. The lesson isn't just about profit; it's that entrepreneurship, with its thousands of daily interactions, offers a unique and accelerated path for self-work and evolving personal beliefs.
02
After just 18 months in a well-paid corporate job, Drobnjak left because it "consumed" his private life. The initial allure of new technology and training gave way to the realization that no salary could compensate for the loss of connection with family and friends. A good job isn't good if it leaves you with no life outside of it.
03
Drobnjak's "failed" experiment with digital minimalism, where he tried to replace his smartphone with a basic Nokia, still yielded a victory: he stopped reading news for ten months. A study showing three minutes of negative news increases a negative outlook by over 30% was the catalyst. Avoiding constant exposure to bad news is not about ignorance; it's about protecting your mental landscape.
04
In an era where "everything has an application," Drobnjak observes that our most valuable resources—attention and focus—are fragmented by thousands of constant interruptions. When something is offered for free, as he puts it, "then you are the product." Your focus is not just distracted; it's being intentionally harvested and monetized.
05
The ubiquitous "scrolling" action on smartphones, Drobnjak notes, was borrowed from the entertainment industry, specifically the casino floor, where pulling a slot machine lever creates the same psychological feedback loop. This isn't accidental; it's a deliberate design choice by tech giants to capture and hold attention, often without user awareness of the underlying mechanism.
06
The most concerning aspect of pervasive smartphone use, for Drobnjak, is its effect on children, who are becoming "heavy addicts" and convinced they cannot live without their devices. The immediate problem might be adult distraction, but the long-term societal cost is a generation whose fundamental relationship with focus and presence has been fundamentally altered.
07
While he criticizes attention-fragmenting tech, Drobnjak points to digital technology in dentistry, his core business, as a positive example that "dramatically improved" and made services more "predictable, repeatable, and better." The distinction isn't whether technology is used, but whether it genuinely enhances a core service or merely creates more avenues for distraction.
08
Drobnjak firmly believes that "leaders are readers," emphasizing extensive reading as a fundamental practice. This isn't just about gaining information; it's about continuously feeding your mind with diverse perspectives and insights, a habit he credits as crucial for personal and professional growth.