by poushkar on 9/5/21, 6:37 AM with 97 comments
by tomhoward on 9/5/21, 2:18 PM
The advice is so simple, it's hard for a lot of outsiders to believe it's worth anything. "Make something people want." "Talk to your users." "Do things that don't scale." "Keep typing and avoid dying." People hear about this and ask "You gave away 7% of your company for that?" No, you give away 7% of your company to join a network of people showing you what it really looks like to do that.
My company got into the Winter 2009 batch of YC, the same batch as Airbnb. They weren't around for many of the dinners; they spent a lot of their time away from the Bay Area doing exactly those things that PG advised, mostly in NYC, where many of their most active users were. They just did that stuff, over and over, for several years. Now they have one of the most successful companies out of Silicon Valley in the last 15 years. (I saw PG tweet a couple of years ago that he'd recently dinner with them, and Brian would still write down PG's suggestions in a notebook.)
During that batch, I was flailing about trying to find some magical trick to make our company work. I remember one office-hours session with PG, excitedly telling him some buzzword-filled story I'd dreamed up about how our company could be a brilliant success. "Just make a good website" he replied.
It took me a while to work out how the Airbnb guys were able to follow the advice so effectively whilst we and so many others got stuck in the weeds, but looking back now it's pretty obvious. They were just very comfortable in their own skin. They didn't have ego issues around needing to seem like geniuses, needing validation all the time, fearing rejection or embarrassment. "Talk to your users" was easy, as they were sociable, likeable people who put on cool parties and who were naturally able to make everyone in their company feel welcome and valued, and everything else emerged out of that.
by darkerside on 9/5/21, 1:44 PM
Exercise regularly, drink water, don't eat too much, mostly plants, get lots of asleep, avoid drugs and alcohol.
Now that I do so well with all that advice, I can't quite remember why that all sounded so hard or "boring" before.
by smoyer on 9/5/21, 1:23 PM
My simple rule ... it never hurts you to help another human. Sometimes it also benefits you but at a minimum your reputation in your sphere of influence is positive.
by AlbertCory on 9/5/21, 10:40 PM
It's this: know your subject inside and out, plus the answers to all the questions you're likely to get. When you're speaking, remember: you know the stuff, they don't, you want to communicate it. That's it.
You'll forget everything else with all that adrenaline roaring in your ears, anyway.
by amelius on 9/5/21, 10:02 AM
by WalterBright on 9/6/21, 12:05 AM
Take responsibility for your situation in life. Stop blaming bad luck, other people, fate, your parents, etc.
The advantage stems from if your situation is your responsibility, that means you can better your situation. A common thread I've found with happy and successful people I've encountered is that all of them have this attitude.
by xupybd on 9/5/21, 8:02 PM
"13The lazy person [who is self-indulgent and relies on lame excuses] says, “There is a lion in the road!
A lion is in the open square [and if I go outside to work I will be killed]!”
14As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy person on his bed [never getting out of it].
15The lazy person buries his hand in the dish [losing opportunity after opportunity];
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth."
The link between fear and laziness is something I'd not realized until I read this. I thought my low tolerance for risk was wisdom but it was simply fear that lead to laziness. It seems that humans had similar struggles thousands of years ago.
by agumonkey on 9/6/21, 6:04 PM
if you find yourself in total chaos, try many small things, and don't bother with negatives and failures, just take what's nice, drop what's bad, repeat. it requires a very strange mindset.. feels almost like religious faith, but fear and self imposed negativity can be such killers .. being a tiny bit blind and hopeful is often great (hence the small things, don't hope to become usain bolt tomorrow and smile while waiting).
by cudgy on 9/5/21, 4:23 PM
by ElectricMind on 9/6/21, 5:56 AM