Postcard 25: Opportunity
Hi Friends 👋
Everyone is talking about all they need is an opportunity. But, as Seth says, opportunity is just another word for a problem to be solved. This is it. The world will probably never be more messed up than this, with bigger problems that need solving than now. We are drowning in "opportunity". Please don't waste it.
The chance you’ve been waiting for
Elena Salaks put's into words what many of us are feeling right now working for Big Tech.
"I work in tech, I’m a parent, and I’m struggling with burnout.
If I’m honest, I’ve been running on fumes for a while. But there were enough milestones along the way to keep chasing that next moment of reprieve. The vacation. The promotion. The vaccine. The remodel.
But then the fumes ran out."
I know because I too recently quit my job in big tech burnt out and demotivated. My take on it:
A few tweets that made me feel smarter:
Ryan Breslow has been dropping some excellent knowledge for anyone trying to build a big company. I have used many of the questions he asks on this thread to hire some of the smartest, hardest-working engineers I've ever worked with. Coming from an industry that drills people on whiteboards, these questions are refreshing. In a previous thread, Ryan talks about how he took his company Bolt from $400m to $4 Billion in 10 months and is now instituting a four-day workweek 🤯. In it, he says work like lions, not like cows. That is attack something hard then rest, don't just spend 8 a.m to 6 p.m. grazing. I am learning a ton from this dude.
A great thread by John Danner detailing why easy money can harm startups and new founders. Worth a read if you work for a VC-funded company or want to raise venture capital. I also love that he references the Mythical Man-Month; throwing more bodies at a late software project just makes it more late. That warning was true nearly 50 years ago it's still true now.
Here is Immad who is a serial entrepreneur and founded The Bank of Mercury saying the same exact thing:
A fun Meme my brother sent me as we build. Just remember, though, those tracks can be straightened out after too.
As always, my inbox is open; feel free to reply to this email if I can help in any way.
Have a great week,
Louie