Do Something Ambitious
Modern technology and tons of people are being wasted on solutions to problems that, in the grand scheme of things, simply don't matter.
Yes, I know how arrogant that sounds. Yes, there are companies that are simply in existence to deliver fun and not necessarily to solve problems that matter. Yes, I'm an avid user of many of these companies' products. But at the end of the day, technology and talent can put an extraordinary dent in the problems that our world is facing today...and so much of this talent is wasted on the latest messaging, photo sharing, or gaming application.
I'm frustrated by the lack of ambition & drive
in the technology industry today.
Have you ever wondered why Elon Musk and his companies are so revered and watched? It's not because he's considered a visionary leader. It's not because they've attracted a ton of talent. It's not because they are valued highly from a financial perspective. All of these things are the result, but not the cause. Tesla, SpaceX, Hyperloop, even X.com/Paypal all had one thing in common from the outset: ambition. They set out to solve problems that matter, from the world's energy supply to ensuring that humanity doesn't die on this planet, they have extraordinary and lofty goals. Here's a question: why are there not more companies in this vein? Why are so many people satisfied with the status quo? Why are you?
Why are people so satisfied with building mediocre products
that solve lackluster problems?
I'm convinced that people long to solve hard problems. I'm convinced that people are happiest and most fulfilled when they are making a dent in the world in a significant way. Healthcare, finance, global security, space travel, energy, food supply allocation....these are the problems that matter.
If you're an engineer, do you want to build something really cool? Really ambitious? Of course you do. If you're a product manager, do you want to define, own, and iterate on something that influences a massive industry? Of course you do. If you're interested in user experience, do you want to design and refine a product that improves peoples' lives in a meaningful way? Of course you do. But here's my thinking: if you want to do something meaningful with your life and career, you have to tackle a meaningful problem.
If you want to do something meaningful with your life & career, you have to tackle a meaningful problem.
Of course, I'm biased here, being at Addepar. I fully believe that I'm allocating my foreseeable working life to something that matters: preventing the next global financial crisis by empowering markets to efficiently allocate capital and mitigate risk. It just so happens that along the way I get to do it alongside some of the best people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Along the way, I get to witness the birth of one of the most ambitious web applications I've ever seen. Along the way, I get to see grown adults in suits high-five one another in boardrooms because of the problems we've already solved.
