The opportunity that Zoom is squandering in productivity is reminiscent of what Dropbox had and lost. Dropbox could have owned the productivity app suite, and built an ecosystem of apps for docs, sheets, slides, comms, and design. They had the infrastructure, the

Betting big on yourself demonstrates alignment and confidence. At the best performing VC firms, there is often internal jockeying on who gets to put in a larger GP commit. At the mediocre ones, partners jockey to put in as little commit as possible

It's remarkable how pretty much all successful people take agency in their lives and their careers, no matter their circumstances or challenges. They don't whine or mope. They just get sh*t done

The mediocre think it’s all about them The best give it all for the company, the mission, and the team. Sometimes, too much. Protect the latter. Jettison the former.

For all the people in tech & VC who think 996 is intense, PE megafunds (+ banking in M&A or top tier coverage groups) are next level. 996 in tech is a breeze compared to finance lifestyles

There are so many VC podcasts. It feels like every week two people I know start one. On one hand, the more the merrier. On the other hand, instead of new shows, I'd love to see more content from the very best: Acquired, Uncapped, 20VC, Invest like the Best, etc.

There are 4 kinds of employees: 1) Don’t know or care there’s a problem 2) Tells you there’s a problem 3) Suggests solutions 4) Already solved the problem last week

There is a lot of chatter around how COGS of AI apps will trend over time. But it's much more likely future margins will derive from pricing power. Do we honestly think every AI app will be priced at $20 a month in perpetuity? And would we really stop paying for them?

Natural ability, work ethic, luck. All success is a composite of those 3 elements. The more you have of one, the less you need of the others. Only one of them is firmly in your control.

There’s something refreshing about products that are built in an extremely user friendly way, in stark contrast to those that are obviously optimizing to boost signups. Granola for example is stunningly user friendly. It works in the background but it’s easy to shut off. It

People can work surprisingly hard without burnout as long as they feel like they’re winning.

The best of the best have a level of drive, work ethic, intensity, & discipline, on top of high intelligence, that is truly unparalleled. It's funny how many people think, oh, if I was born under more fortunate circumstances (wealthy parents, white, American, male, etc.), I could

There's a VC equivalent of this where VCs who had exceptional hustle, instinct, analytical ability, and taste, over time outsource more of the work to junior investors. As a byproduct, their skills and hunger atrophy. The best VCs never stop playing the ground game.

Best post I’ve seen on X in a long time

Speed is the moat

There are some VCs whose full time job seems to be conference hopping

"Intensity is the price of excellence." - Warren Buffet

This is why most new VC podcasts won’t work. Too many VCs think it’s a fun side gig where all you need is a mic and can wing it once a week with random portfolio founders. Harry started in the dark ages when podcasts, much less VC podcasts, were extremely niche. And he kept at

A founder profile I rarely see succeed: the ones who had excellent but cookie cutter high school resumes - straight As, did all their homework on time, were beloved by all their teachers, joined all the right clubs, played 3 sports, easily got into an Ivy League college, and

Both of these statements can be simultaneously true: 1) Large VC firms are focused on top 0.1% outcomes, which correlate with top 0.1% growth. The bar is very high. 2) A startup that isn't in that set isn't a failure, and can drive plenty of upside for the team + investors