5 ms·

I never called myself the CEO of Viaweb. I just used my actual job title, which was president. It seemed silly to talk about someone being Chief Executive Off

by pg 17y ago

I never called myself the CEO of Viaweb. I just used my actual job title, which was president. It seemed silly to talk about someone being Chief Executive Officer of a company with 20 people. But that was over 10 years ago; fashions may have changed.

grosen 17y ago
Fashions have definitely changed. Unfortunately, for the worse.
- unalone 17y ago
  Define "worse" in this case. It's an irritation at worst, and it indicates that being an entrepreneur is starting to become something kids are interested in. I'd deem that a good change, however obnoxious we cool hands might find it.
  - kyro 17y ago
    Worse in that people are falling into illusions of grandeur. I'd say it's more about being honest with yourself, and others, about your work and accomplishments. Embellishing is fine, but you do have to admit that it's gotten to a pretty ridiculous point these days, especially in the web world. I'd also say that being more realistic and grounded will drive you more to achieve that level of success people often believe they've reached in their illusions. If you're a CEO of a revolutionary web 2.0 company operating in stealth mode, and you don't see any traction, you'll be more likely to give up because reality isn't falling inline with the ridiculous expectations you've set in place. I will admit, I am guilty of this at times.
- grosen 17y ago
  Worse in the sense that its diminishing the value of being an entrepreneur and CEO. For example, if PHD's were being handed out to kids a 40 year old's MBA is now depreciated. Same goes for the status and worth of the word and title CEO / Entrepreneur.
  - unalone 17y ago
    Was there ever an inherent value in either? Entrepreneur shouldn't be a term thrown around to sound impressive, like doctor is, because calling yourself an entrepreneur requires a lot less. Similarly, CEO should be a term that's no more impressive than your company. So somebody calling themselves the CEO of a two-man company doesn't make Steve Jobs any less impressive, because it's not two CEOs, it's Apple and Smallfry.
amichail 17y ago
Don't top academics avoid titles in the US? See for example how many top academics have "Dr." or "Prof." in the title of their home page. I suppose the impression is that an academic would only fall back on his/her title because he/she is not particularly well known and needs some way to impress others. It looks bad. Why is this different in industry?
- cj 17y ago
  Someone commented on the site about this. The difference between academics and business is that "Dr." and "Prof." are appointed titles, while CEO is self-given without having to meet any prerequisites or requirements.
  - amichail 17y ago
    But the point is that the use of any title looks bad. It's better to impress with achievements than titles.
    - unalone 17y ago
      Every friend of mine training to be a doctor resents the implication that becoming a doctor isn't an achievement. They're sacrificing more for their title than most entrepreneurs sacrifice for theirs.
      - amichail 17y ago
        It's different for academics because getting a PhD is just the beginning. A top academic would probably not consider it the most important achievement of his/her career. A top academic is well known and everyone will automatically assume that he/she has a PhD and a respectable position at his/her university, so mentioning the title is redundant.
        yummyfajitas 17y ago
        In general, when you find an academic type without a PhD, it's even more impressive. Read about Google Eliezer Yudkowsky, and tell me you aren't even more impressed when you find out his educational background.
ivankirigin 17y ago
Using the title CEO is largely meaningless, but for the right audience is a real-world hack.
- staunch 17y ago
  I cringe at the "hack" usage, but I agree. It's amazingly pathetic how many people are instantly impressed when they hear the word CEO.
  - ivankirigin 17y ago
    I'm borrowing pg's phrase "hack a real world system" from yc applications. If you cringe at that, watch this funny bit http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/218485518/merlinlabs http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/218485518/merlinlabs
    - staunch 17y ago
      Great video. Wow, he's exactly like Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy. I wish he'd say "scramby eggs"

by pg 17y ago

grosen 17y ago

Fashions have definitely changed. Unfortunately, for the worse.

unalone 17y ago
Define "worse" in this case. It's an irritation at worst, and it indicates that being an entrepreneur is starting to become something kids are interested in. I'd deem that a good change, however obnoxious we cool hands might find it.
- kyro 17y ago
  Worse in that people are falling into illusions of grandeur. I'd say it's more about being honest with yourself, and others, about your work and accomplishments. Embellishing is fine, but you do have to admit that it's gotten to a pretty ridiculous point these days, especially in the web world. I'd also say that being more realistic and grounded will drive you more to achieve that level of success people often believe they've reached in their illusions. If you're a CEO of a revolutionary web 2.0 company operating in stealth mode, and you don't see any traction, you'll be more likely to give up because reality isn't falling inline with the ridiculous expectations you've set in place. I will admit, I am guilty of this at times.
grosen 17y ago
Worse in the sense that its diminishing the value of being an entrepreneur and CEO. For example, if PHD's were being handed out to kids a 40 year old's MBA is now depreciated. Same goes for the status and worth of the word and title CEO / Entrepreneur.
- unalone 17y ago
  Was there ever an inherent value in either? Entrepreneur shouldn't be a term thrown around to sound impressive, like doctor is, because calling yourself an entrepreneur requires a lot less. Similarly, CEO should be a term that's no more impressive than your company. So somebody calling themselves the CEO of a two-man company doesn't make Steve Jobs any less impressive, because it's not two CEOs, it's Apple and Smallfry.

amichail 17y ago

Don't top academics avoid titles in the US? See for example how many top academics have "Dr." or "Prof." in the title of their home page. I suppose the impression is that an academic would only fall back on his/her title because he/she is not particularly well known and needs some way to impress others. It looks bad. Why is this different in industry?

cj 17y ago
Someone commented on the site about this. The difference between academics and business is that "Dr." and "Prof." are appointed titles, while CEO is self-given without having to meet any prerequisites or requirements.
- amichail 17y ago
  But the point is that the use of any title looks bad. It's better to impress with achievements than titles.
  - unalone 17y ago
    Every friend of mine training to be a doctor resents the implication that becoming a doctor isn't an achievement. They're sacrificing more for their title than most entrepreneurs sacrifice for theirs.
    - amichail 17y ago
      It's different for academics because getting a PhD is just the beginning. A top academic would probably not consider it the most important achievement of his/her career. A top academic is well known and everyone will automatically assume that he/she has a PhD and a respectable position at his/her university, so mentioning the title is redundant.
      - yummyfajitas 17y ago
        In general, when you find an academic type without a PhD, it's even more impressive. Read about Google Eliezer Yudkowsky, and tell me you aren't even more impressed when you find out his educational background.

ivankirigin 17y ago

Using the title CEO is largely meaningless, but for the right audience is a real-world hack.

staunch 17y ago
I cringe at the "hack" usage, but I agree. It's amazingly pathetic how many people are instantly impressed when they hear the word CEO.
- ivankirigin 17y ago
  I'm borrowing pg's phrase "hack a real world system" from yc applications. If you cringe at that, watch this funny bit http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/218485518/merlinlabs http://www.kungfugrippe.com/post/218485518/merlinlabs
  - staunch 17y ago
    Great video. Wow, he's exactly like Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy. I wish he'd say "scramby eggs"