4 ms·

For one, because the chances of shooting for the stars and failing is very high. You have to take on a lot of funding, spend a lot on user acquisition, etc. etc

by untog 11y ago

For one, because the chances of shooting for the stars and failing is very high. You have to take on a lot of funding, spend a lot on user acquisition, etc. etc. etc. Do you want a highly talented person to work on something for two years that ends up being utterly destroyed, or do you want them to work for 20 years on a business that keeps improving? What the hell is the point of all of this if we aren't going for the big win? Life? What you're saying sounds like the result of an absolutely off-whack work/life balance. There is, and will always be, more to life than work.

AndrewKemendo 11y ago
>There is, and will always be, more to life than work. This is where I am in constant disagreement with people. My work based on what I want to be doing with my life. I want my life to be my work - that's what life is about imo, dedicating your efforts to something that grows and sustains a community. A lot of people don't want that for some reason, but if you look at basically every person who has ever done something great and massive no matter what it is, ghandi, gates etc... their life WAS their work.
- untog 11y ago
  If you're including Ghandi in here then you have a pretty broad definition of "work". In any case: if you're so intent on building a billion dollar company, what will you do when, as probably states will be the case, that company does not reach a billion dollars and in fact fails entirely?
  - AndrewKemendo 11y ago
    That's right I do have a broad definition. "Work" to me is the thing that you are putting most of your effort to. Maybe you are a stay at home mom, and your work is raising children - you have to be all in for that. Same goes for anything. If one venture fails completely, then you take what you learned and start again when you can. If you are in a position that you can start your own company and raise money for it, the worst that can happen is that you have to go find a job. Lets even assume that you lose your house in the process. Ok, well downsize, keep your head down till the next opportunity arises and keep moving forward. I don't see any other way to live. People have these marginal goals of working 9-5 going to the beach on the weekend, having a couple kids, then retiring at 65/70 and traveling or whatever till they die at 85. That sounds terrible to me - and my guess is that would sound terrible to anyone who worked on something that people gain value from (Salk, Scorsese, Musk etc...).
    - untog 11y ago
      People have these marginal goals of working 9-5 going to the beach on the weekend, having a couple kids, then retiring at 65/70 and traveling or whatever till they die at 85. You're drawing lines where there are none. Why, exactly, is striving for but not necessarily achieving a billion dollar company a more worthwhile pursuit than raising children and traveling the world? If you are in a position that you can start your own company and raise money for it, the worst that can happen is that you have to go find a job. No, the worst that can happen is that you waste years of your life, and look back as an old man and only see a series of failed ventures to your name.
      - AndrewKemendo 11y ago
        I think we're too hung up on the number. It has nothing to do, really, with the dollar amount of the company - that's just a proxy for impact/scale. I could as easily say "Be President" or any other things that are at that scale. It's a more worthwhile pursuit because your individual impact can be much wider.
    - Retra 11y ago
      And your work is "trying to run a $10B company?" Just write yourself a $10B check and consider it accomplished. If you're going to conflate living your life with working hard, then you've got no reason to separate spending your money from making your money, and at that point it doesn't matter how much you're making. People also have goals like "achieve something with lasting value" and running a company with a big budget is not intrinsically that. Especially when you're so prone to fail at it.
      - AndrewKemendo 11y ago
        I think we're too hung up on the number. It has nothing to do, really, with the dollar amount of the company - that's just a proxy for impact/scale. I could as easily say "Be President" or any other things that are at that scale.
        11y ago

by untog 11y ago

AndrewKemendo 11y ago

>There is, and will always be, more to life than work. This is where I am in constant disagreement with people. My work based on what I want to be doing with my life. I want my life to be my work - that's what life is about imo, dedicating your efforts to something that grows and sustains a community. A lot of people don't want that for some reason, but if you look at basically every person who has ever done something great and massive no matter what it is, ghandi, gates etc... their life WAS their work.

untog 11y ago
If you're including Ghandi in here then you have a pretty broad definition of "work". In any case: if you're so intent on building a billion dollar company, what will you do when, as probably states will be the case, that company does not reach a billion dollars and in fact fails entirely?
- AndrewKemendo 11y ago
  That's right I do have a broad definition. "Work" to me is the thing that you are putting most of your effort to. Maybe you are a stay at home mom, and your work is raising children - you have to be all in for that. Same goes for anything. If one venture fails completely, then you take what you learned and start again when you can. If you are in a position that you can start your own company and raise money for it, the worst that can happen is that you have to go find a job. Lets even assume that you lose your house in the process. Ok, well downsize, keep your head down till the next opportunity arises and keep moving forward. I don't see any other way to live. People have these marginal goals of working 9-5 going to the beach on the weekend, having a couple kids, then retiring at 65/70 and traveling or whatever till they die at 85. That sounds terrible to me - and my guess is that would sound terrible to anyone who worked on something that people gain value from (Salk, Scorsese, Musk etc...).
  - untog 11y ago
    People have these marginal goals of working 9-5 going to the beach on the weekend, having a couple kids, then retiring at 65/70 and traveling or whatever till they die at 85. You're drawing lines where there are none. Why, exactly, is striving for but not necessarily achieving a billion dollar company a more worthwhile pursuit than raising children and traveling the world? If you are in a position that you can start your own company and raise money for it, the worst that can happen is that you have to go find a job. No, the worst that can happen is that you waste years of your life, and look back as an old man and only see a series of failed ventures to your name.
    - AndrewKemendo 11y ago
      I think we're too hung up on the number. It has nothing to do, really, with the dollar amount of the company - that's just a proxy for impact/scale. I could as easily say "Be President" or any other things that are at that scale. It's a more worthwhile pursuit because your individual impact can be much wider.
  - Retra 11y ago
    And your work is "trying to run a $10B company?" Just write yourself a $10B check and consider it accomplished. If you're going to conflate living your life with working hard, then you've got no reason to separate spending your money from making your money, and at that point it doesn't matter how much you're making. People also have goals like "achieve something with lasting value" and running a company with a big budget is not intrinsically that. Especially when you're so prone to fail at it.
    - AndrewKemendo 11y ago
      I think we're too hung up on the number. It has nothing to do, really, with the dollar amount of the company - that's just a proxy for impact/scale. I could as easily say "Be President" or any other things that are at that scale.
      - 11y ago