Applying the Moscow rules
It's hard to keep incentives aligned during negotiations. Building trust to find what your counter-parter really wants is delicate dance. You need to probe, but you »
Technical intuition
In addition to demonstrating reliance and resourcefulness, successful founders of technology companies typically have good technical intuition. In other words, they know what kinds of technology »
Space to think
Making space to think is important. It's hard to be creative when you don't have room to spread out. Trying to be creative in a cluttered »
One conversation at dinner
Long tables in loud restaurants aren't well suited for conversation. In reality, you'll likely only talk to the people right next to you or right across »
Speed dating
Before dating apps, speed dating was the de facto way to meet large numbers of potential partners. In some ways, this may have been more efficient. »
Negotiating is about relationships
The best negotiators can find creative win-win situations. They're able to figure out what winning means to their counter-parties and are straight forward about what they're »
Dividend recapitalization
Dividend recapitalization is when a firm raises debt to pay dividends to its shareholders. This can dramatically change the risk profile of a firm by increasing »
Liquidity for early employees
Early employees at fast growing startups often have the vast majority of their wealth tied up in stock options. Unfortunately, until an exit, they have little »
Design thinking is about mental discipline
Design thinking is a mindset. Everyone is capable of deferring judgement and building on others' ideas, but most people haven't developed the mental discipline to suppress »
Being considerate of users' time
I am amazed at how much more I enjoy watching TV shows on Netflix with no advertisements compared to broadcast, cable, or Hulu. Time is our »