Chapter Content
Okay, so, like, finding work that feels like play, right? That's the goal. I mean, back in the day, way back, we were all just hunting and gathering, you know, fending for ourselves. Then agriculture came along, and bam, social classes. And the industrial revolution? Forget about it! Factories made the whole hierarchy thing, like, super intense. Nobody could just build a factory on their own, you know? But now, with the internet and everything, it's kind of swinging back to individuals working for themselves. And honestly, I'd rather be a failed entrepreneur than someone who never even tried. Because even a failed entrepreneur? They've got skills, man. They've got the hustle.
I'm serious, there are like, billions of people on this planet. I hope someday there are just as many companies.
I learned how to make money because, well, you kind of need it to live. But once I didn't *need* to worry about it anymore, I stopped caring so much. For me, personally, work is just a means to an end, you know? Like, money is too, of course. But I'm way more interested in solving problems than just chasing the cash.
And it's like, any goal you reach, right? There's always another one. And another. Life's just a series of games, if you think about it. You grow up playing the school game, the social game, the money game, the status game... They're all games, just with bigger consequences, I guess. But once you see that it's all just a game, the outcome? It doesn't really matter as much.
Seeing the game? It can make you tired of it. And I'm at that point, you know? I don't think there's some ultimate purpose or anything. I just, like, go with what feels right, follow my gut, and try to make the most of each day. I really do try to live in the present.
I don't want to just endlessly chase pleasure, you know? The most valuable thing, I think, is freedom. Not having to worry about money, right? That's the good stuff. And you can get there by either, like, lowering your expenses or busting your butt to earn more. Once you're free from that money stress, you're basically retired. And I don't mean, like, hitting 65 and collecting a pension. I have a different idea of retirement.
What *is* retirement, really?
Retirement is about not sacrificing today for some imaginary tomorrow. It's when you can actually, truly live in the present, and feel content with each day.
So, how do you get there?
Well, first, you can just save a ton of money. If you have enough, your passive income, you know, doing absolutely nothing, covers your expenses.
Second, you can reduce your expenses to zero. Like, become a monk or something.
And third, you can do what you absolutely love. Just totally get lost in it, and not even care about the money. So, yeah, there are a bunch of ways to retire.
And the way to avoid competition? Be uniquely you. Find that thing you can do better than anyone else. Be the best at it because you love it. And if you really, truly love something, follow that passion. Try to find a way to use it to meet a real need in society. Use leverage to scale it up, and take personal responsibility for it. That way, you take on the risk, but you also get the rewards. You own the product or service you're providing, and then you just keep getting better at it.
So, like, after you’re financially free, does your motivation to make money drop?
It’s kind of both, you know? Like, it drops because that feeling of desperation, that pressure, it's gone.
But it doesn’t drop because, at this point, for me, entrepreneurship and making money, it's more like… an art form. It’s just more fun.
The people who are remembered, whether it's in business or science or politics, they're all artists, really.
Art is creation. The point of art is just the act of creating. You do it because you like it, because it's fun. It's for your own enjoyment. What else in life is just for its own sake? I can think of three: loving without reservation, creating freely, and playing without a care. And for me, entrepreneurship? That's play. I do it because it's fun, because I like a certain product.
I can build a new company in, like, three months. Raise the money, build the team, launch the business. It feels like a game. Being able to build something from nothing is super enjoyable. The money is just a bonus. And I’m getting better at this game. The motivation changes, too. It used to be about achieving a goal. Now, it’s about making the company the best it can be, making it a beautiful work of art. And you know what’s funny? I think I’m doing a way better job now than I used to.
And if I decide to invest in a company or project, it's because I like the people involved. I enjoy being around them, I learn from them, and I like their product. I'll actually pass on investment opportunities with great returns if I'm not interested in the product.
Finding that work that feels like play? It's not like an all-or-nothing thing. You can just keep working towards it.
When I was younger, I just wanted to make money. I'd do anything for it. If someone had offered me a job hauling sewage, I probably would have said, "Sure, I want to get paid!" Luckily, nobody did. I'm so glad I ended up on this tech path, doing something I actually enjoy. It lets me combine my career and my hobbies. Best of both worlds, really.
I'm always "working." But what other people see as work? It feels like play to me. And that's why I'm sure nobody can compete with me in my field. Because I see it as play, I can do it for, like, sixteen hours a day. If someone wants to compete, they're going to lose. They can't work seven days a week, sixteen hours a day.
How much money makes you feel secure?
Money isn't evil, you know? It's just money. It's the greed that's the problem. Wanting money isn't a bad thing, morally. It doesn't say anything about your character. But greed? That's harmful.
The reason greed's harmful is because it’s a bottomless pit. It just takes over your mind, and you can't escape it. It's okay to love money, to make money. But the problem is, you're never satisfied. You never hit a number where you’re like, “Okay, I’m good.” That switch doesn't just turn off automatically. That's why you should never think you'll reach some point and just be satisfied.
And there's a price to pay for greed, too. People who make a lot of money always want more. They get sensitive, paranoid, obsessed with not losing what they have. There's no free lunch. You pay for your greed.
The point of making money is to solve financial problems, to meet your needs. I think the best way to avoid greed is to not upgrade your lifestyle when you make more money. People naturally raise their standards when they make more. But what if you got a huge chunk of money all at once, instead of gradually? If you keep your lifestyle the same, before you have a chance to upgrade, your money will far exceed your needs and desires. And that's what gives you financial freedom.
And one thing that’s really helped me is that I value freedom above everything else. All kinds of freedom. The freedom to do what I want, the freedom to not do what I don't want, the freedom from my own emotions or outside influences. Freedom is the most important thing to me.
In some ways, money can buy you freedom, which is great. But in some ways, money can take away your freedom, and I don’t like that.
The winners in any game are the people who are obsessed with it, even when the returns are diminishing. They just keep playing.
Do I need to start a company to be successful?
Well, in Silicon Valley, the most successful people fall into two categories. First, there are the venture capitalists, because they are so diversified and they control something that used to be a scarce resource. Second, are the people who are really good at identifying what stage the company is at and what it needs. They figure out, like, the next Dropbox or Airbnb, and join when the product and market are just starting to fit together. They have the background and expertise that the company needs to scale, and they have the right connections.
You know, like, the people who were at Google, but joined Facebook when it was only 100 people, and then joined Stripe when it was also only like, 100 people?
Zuckerberg was totally lost on how to scale the company at first. He called Jim Breyer, a venture capitalist and the founder of Accel Partners, and said, "I don't know what to do." And Breyer said, "I know a really great product person. You need them." So it shows how important expertise and connections are. And the economic returns for those professionals, over the long run on a risk-adjusted basis, are often higher than for venture capitalists.
The most successful people I've met in Silicon Valley? They had a breakthrough early in their careers, like getting promoted to vice president or director or CEO. Some of them then went on to start companies and did really well. If you don't have that breakthrough early on, it's really hard to catch up later. So, joining a small company early on is a good choice, because there aren't as many barriers to getting promoted quickly.
And for anyone starting out in their career, even later on, the most important resource is the network that the company will give you. You have to think about who you’ll be working with, and how they’ll progress in the future.