I think another driver of this sentiment and behavior is that chasing scale strips you of some humanity. It puts your head too high up in the clouds. It removes you from what happens in the real world with real people. Pursuing something that can’t scale does the exact opposite: it grounds you. It’s a comforting and healing next act.

Though we yearn for clarity, the universe whispers caution. If you listen closely to those who’ve made it, you’ll find what many of them want most is to return to the unknown. Kurt Cobain said he wished he could’ve stayed forever in the moment right before Nirvana got big. Virgil Abloh believed no piece mattered more than having the freedom to make... See more