Ideas I want to write about

I will treat you with dignity, perhaps even kindness, but I am in no way interested in you.

The success bar moves from “can you create?” to “can you make something only YOU could make?”

When design teams end up with solutions that feel vague or generic, it’s usually because they started with the component instead of the user’s goal.

Component first = “I need a slider with a volume label and a time picker.”

Goal first = “Users need to adjust playback speed and expand event durations.”

one of the best sales advice we got back in YC was the "ikea effect":

if you are in the middle of a demo, never just open your laptop and show a generic feature dump. before you show anything, ask this:

"if you were in my shoes, what would this platform need to show you to prove it can solve your problem?"

the prospect will give you a checklist of 2-3... See more

Gall’s Law:

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.

a16z is positioning itself to manufacture the conditions under which outcomes occur —through media, markets, talent pipelines, political alignment, and institutional influence.

increasing market penetration , which comes from making the brand easy to think of (mental availability) and easy to buy (physical availability)