21–30 of 52 posts
Besides that, interesting and good interview.
I always thought this was PG's greatest gift to the tech world. To horribly generalize - prior to YC "business" people had a patronizing attitude toward developers. They were expensive assets - comparable to hw/sw and data-centers - that were required to successfully launch and grow a startup. But they weren't invited to the strategic table too often. They didn't get business. I don't know this to be a fact but I alw…
I would say smart hackers can be nearly anything they want to be. The best of them are capable of looking at most any problem and breaking it down into solvable chunks. Whether it's figuring out the behaviors necessary to tone their bodies into beings capable of physical activity, or honing their skills with machinery to rebuild an old car. Hackers can be some of the best mechanics and are capable of knowing how to t…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Personally I don't believe in natural aptitude. Most of what others tend to see as natural aptitude is in fact just attitude. If someone really enjoys something they put in the hours of practice and the effort to be awesome in that field, and they can become the "rock star".
The flip side is, when you're naturally good at something, it becomes fun to do. So you do it a lot. I tried for 2 years to get good at guitar. Never got good. But didn't practice very often either. Then one I sat down at a drum set and was immediately better than the drummer in my band. I had a knack. It was so fun to play those beats that I practiced almost every day for many years, and still do. And have gotten pr…
I think that both good/x10 business people and hackers need similar personality traits (or let's call them habits) - focus, persistence, and willingness to learn. Concrete skills like talking to or with people you have never seen before, or learning a framework in the matter of days, can likely be acquired when trying long and hard enough. E.g. I learned to learn new songs in the matter of half an hour or less; I'd never imagined I was capable of that! But it's a skill just like any other.
But we really have to _want_ to get good at something in order to do it. Staying with the guitar example - I can do finger exercises for months and months, but if I don't have a lick I want to eventually be able to play, I will not follow through, whatever focus and persistence I put in during exercise. That's why I prefer to sketch out interfaces before implementing them - hacking and Photoshopping is just a necessity in order to get the product I dreamt up. I do enjoy programming, and I do it focussed and persistent, but I have to really want the outcome (in that case a cool interface and UX).
I am surprised that Shenglong is down voted - it strikes me that the idea of 10x "business-people" is just as valid as 10x developers. Certainly Branson for example seems better at it than, say, me. @Andrew_quentin Want my take on the 5 or so business rules: 1. Budget. Don't spend more than you plan to, plan to make a profit. 2. Clarity. Be clear what you offer and why it benefits the target market 3. ABS - Always Be…
Number 6 seems like the odd one out , there are plenty of businesses that were successful because they kept figuring out how to get things done cheaper and passing those savings on to consumers and undercutting the competition. Or companies who ate their margins to lower prices and gain market share.
I am surprised that Shenglong is down voted - it strikes me that the idea of 10x "business-people" is just as valid as 10x developers. Certainly Branson for example seems better at it than, say, me. @Andrew_quentin Want my take on the 5 or so business rules: 1. Budget. Don't spend more than you plan to, plan to make a profit. 2. Clarity. Be clear what you offer and why it benefits the target market 3. ABS - Always Be…
I wonder if pg would revise that statement now seeing as how Dropbox is its largest winner so far.
On a side note, I didn't know PG sounded a bit british : )
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Number 6 seems like the odd one out , there are plenty of businesses that were successful because they kept figuring out how to get things done cheaper and passing those savings on to consumers and undercutting the competition. Or companies who ate their margins to lower prices and gain market share.
Not every businessperson aims to create the next Walmart-scale business. You can live comfortably with a few tens of thousands of repeat customers.
I always thought this was PG's greatest gift to the tech world. To horribly generalize - prior to YC "business" people had a patronizing attitude toward developers. They were expensive assets - comparable to hw/sw and data-centers - that were required to successfully launch and grow a startup. But they weren't invited to the strategic table too often. They didn't get business. I don't know this to be a fact but I alw…
I don't know, even before YC a lot (most?) of the prominent successful tech startups were started by pretty technical people Microsoft , Apple , Yahoo , Google etc.