From Nat Friedman’s personal site (former Github CEO)

If I had gotten this advice during my undergrad, I would have done things very differently. Maybe for most of us it might feel a little out of touch but it tells you the realest advice. "Focus on what matters, not on what looks better" ❤️ Your time is precious. Share this with someone who needs this advice. ✨

I've been in startups for the last 8 years. From Series B/C onwards to even a unicorn, over time worked at 3. One of them was an outright scam, raised many millions of $s from top investors, and then ultimately died. Also close with CXOs at decent sized startups, and there is a pattern out there. A few thoughts: 1. Being a startup founder is tough. There's pain. Some people thrive in pain. AKA Masochists. Know how to spot a founder who works 15 hours a day because they love their vision vs. somebody who works 15 hours a day because they're masochists. These people thrive in pain, and hence love to see you miserable as you slog away the hours under their leadership. There is absolutely no vision for the future that they have. They do it for the fame, money, and cause a lot of pain in the process. Nothing good comes out of it. Investors love this breed. 2. I wish I'd done more than just leave the scammy startup. At the point, I decided against whistleblowing. Because I thought there's so many people employed here, they would all be impacted. Over time, 200-300 people more joined after I left. Once the scam was caught, all of them lost their jobs. 3. I'm not a coder. I'm a generalist. Over time, my pay grew but not in line with my peers who went into consulting/VC and then came back to big tech/startups. Over time, you disadvantage yourself if you stick around as a generalist in startups for too long. The next team pays you at some premium over the last one, there's no step jump. You need to somehow find a successful startup early, and genuinely, that is impossible to game - even VCs have to bet on 20 to get it right. These are a few disjointed thoughts. I hope they give some insight. My only takeaways: - If you work at a scammy startup, don't stand it. At least, don't stick around. - I earn lesser than my peers (tier 1 undergrad), but I regret nothing. I love my work, and I'll never get over the kick. I cannot imagine working at a larger company ever again. - Ultimately, you have to be optimistic. Believe that India will grow, good founders will come around, magic will happen ❤️

Hi All, what can help me join an early stage startup and grow up to the top close to the founders within a year? I want to be in the middle of the action Has anyone here done it before?

https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html

Just sharing a random thought that I feel is very important, would love to get your thoughts on it as well. I've been in startups for ~5 years now, and my big realization is that the best people know when to go all-in into an idea and close the loop: in terms of making sure resources are put behind the project, founders' approval exists, and people are championed behind it's execution It's super easy to come up with 3-4 ideas every month, share it, move on to the next ones. Most commonly, some execution also happens, but then people eventually lose interest... they are too stuck on being an idea generator, and often times there is a missing culture of seeing things to fruition. But the joy of having thought of something, seeing it succeed/fail, get to a logical conclusion is unparalleled. It's the most beautiful way to learn how 0 to 1 actually works, and makes sure you learn to execute, not just think. The happiness lies in seeing the early signs of success, and then some mid-stage and late-stage signs of success. This culture within early team members makes a startup successful. It makes you successful, if you're the person behind it. So to everyone who's still early within startups (especially early stage), try to close the loop on those ideas you find to be wonderful. You'll never again have to think about what to write on your CV or what to say in an interview. TLDR: Execute your ideas with as much excitement as you had when you first thought of them, don't lose track. From other operators, would love to get your thoughts on this. What have you seen? Do you feel differently?

I’ll start first: “The greats never sacrifice the important for the urgent. They handle the immediate problem and still make sure to secure the future.”

Hi all, I graduated from IIT Delhi and have been working at well established startup since. So for a while I have been wondering why we don't have any deep tech startups doing innovation. Don't get me wrong, there are startups doing innovations but not the kind of innovation which we would call industry shattering or taking the level up a notch. Most of these innovations are just integrating what others are doing in an aggregated platform. I again wondered this today when I saw cognition launching Devin the AI software engineer. They have a pretty small yet highly talented team. We in India too have highly intelligent folks educating themselves in CS, why don't we have this mindset (even I don't have this mindset). Is it about the difference in culture or a sense of security that folks in the US have that helps them be free from an economic point of view and try innovative things ?

Worked in IT sector, product sector and now with FAANG. Total NW: 6 Crore+. A few takeaways: 1. To make money, take risks. 2. To stay happy, invest immensely in your family. 3. Money can't buy happiness, but it does buy Status and Respect in Indian society. 4. Health is still the most important thing, never neglect it. 5. Casual flirting can keep you young and motivated to look young.

Hey👋 What is the list of books one must read to learn or change the thinking perspective in finance, tech, or any domain that's worth reading. Any suggestions 👀