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Every time there's a post like this, young entrepreneurs in the valley tend to ignore the uncomfortable advice like "come to appreciate the sales culture" and i
by radicaldreamer 9y ago
Every time there's a post like this, young entrepreneurs in the valley tend to ignore the uncomfortable advice like "come to appreciate the sales culture" and idolize "be ruthless" and often interpret it as "be an asshole, all the time".
Also, just because some personality traits worked for a certain place, time, and cultural period, doesn't mean it's applicable to the industry today.
- mooreds 9y agoAbsolutely. Note that the interviewee starts out by stating they haven't talked to Larry in decades and only worked with them for a few years. If someone doesn't evolve over a few years, let alone a few decades, then something is gravely wrong.
- alexasmyths 9y agoThere's a relatively recent interview with Charlie Rose, in which Ellison comes off as huge d*bag.
- MR4D 9y agoLink: https://charlierose.com/videos/17259 https://charlierose.com/videos/17259
- smd4 9y agoI laughed when I read that Ellison often said, “It’s not enough to win—all others must fail.” Once, in the early days of the field of synthetic biology, I asked my mentor George Church why he collaborated with so many people who weren't obviously doing the highest caliber work. He replied, "When you're involved in starting a new field, often it's not enough to succeed by yourself. Sometimes you also have to help others not fail."
- regeland 9y agoWow small world. I remember having a similar conversation with George Church circa 2000. Fun times and his vision has come to pass. Great guy.
- joering2 9y ago“It’s not enough to win—all others must fail.” Because of the way Mr. Ellison been conducting himself business-wise, there is a saying in the Valley: "I would love to live a life as Larry Ellison, but heck I would not want to die as Larry Ellison".