Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
While it is true that entrepreneurship (and startup investing) require risk-taking, this focus on risk-taking can lead entrepreneurs to neglect the critical task of risk reduction. During a recent meeting with some founders, I walked them through some of the key ways that they could reduce the perceived risk of investing in their company. They … Continue reading The Importance of Reducing (Perceived) Risk
One of the dangers that has folks worried about the heavy use of AI is the possibility that our cognitive skills will atrophy from lack of use. Wall Street Journal tech reporter Sam Schechner recently wrote an essay describing how reliance on ChatGPT had eroded his skills (here’s a link to a non-paywalled article about … Continue reading The Coming Importance of Deliberate Cognitive Exercise
On my flight from Riyadh to Muscat, I watched the first part of Brian Chesky’s interview on The Diary of a CEO. Brian discusses how, as Airbnb grew and became more successful, and as he became wealthier and more famouse, he become less happy. As they discussed how chasing status, even when successful, only leads … Continue reading The Secrets of Happiness
LANDMAN is the latest hit television series from writer-director Taylor Sheridan. Like the highly successful podcast it was based on, Boomtown, LANDMAN tells the story of oil and gas extraction in the Permian Basin of Texas. The shale boom in 21st century America is a pretty amazing story on its own (one which my book … Continue reading LANDMAN and Masculinity
I recently discovered a new AI-driven phenomenon: AI-driven YouTube channels that crank out summaries of bestselling books. Since I have a Google Alert set for “Blitzscaling,” I get notified when Google finds new Blitzscaling-related content. A couple of days ago, I received an alert about a new video: It’s trivial now to set up a … Continue reading Standing Out Is Harder (And More Important) Than Ever Before
Two people in Silicon Valley whom I admire greatly are Brian Chesky of Airbnb, and Paul Graham of YCombinator. Brian was one of the most popular and insightful guests who visited my Blitzscaling class, and Paul’s essays helped inspire my own style of writing and commentary. Recently, Brian and Paul together introduced a new term … Continue reading Founder Mode is Incredibly Powerful (and Dangerous)
I’m feeling nostalgic this week. Perhaps it was attending a dinner with old friends in the tech/VC industry, some of whom I’ve known since the 1990s. Perhaps it was sitting down for a biographical podcast. Regardless, I was already primed for nostalgia when I read about the end of AnandTech. For those who are younger, … Continue reading AnandTech and the passage of time
One of the characteristics that most of us find appealing is confidence. Confident people are seen as more charismatic, and are more likely to be chosen as leaders. Yet there is a paradox to confidence, and that paradox was even hidden in that prior sentence. We view confidence as a fundamental personality trait. But the … Continue reading The Confidence Paradox
David Barrett of Expensify is a smart entrepreneur and leader, which is why it is interesting that he recently declared, “The office is dead.” Unlike most public figures who have picked a side in the remote vs hybrid vs traditional office debate, David actually put his money where his mouth was, and conducted an experiment … Continue reading Attract People To The Office With People and Purpose, Not Perks
The answer, as always, is money. Former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott bet on creating the Pac-12 cable network. That failed, which left the Pac-12 in a bad position when it came to TV rights. In addition, with the existing TV rights expiring after this season, there was no penalty to leaving the conference. Seeing the … Continue reading What The Hell Is Happening With The Pac-12?