Johanna

“Complain less” is one of the very best pieces of wisdom. That is positively correlated with criticizing other people less, though it is not identical either.

You will not get 100% of your hires right. When it’s obviously not working, it’s unlikely to start working. It’s better for everyone involved to part ways quickly, instead of hanging on to unrealistic dreams that it’s going to get better.

Under-index on interviews. In many cases they are just a “how good can this person talk shop” and you will just prefer native speakers from tech hubs if you do this. Get them to do real work asap.

Look for passion. Smart people are passionate about the projects they work on. They get very excited talking about the subject.

As the market got bigger, the rewards for winning were greater. The best widget producers of the 19th century made significantly more wealth than the best in the 18th century, even if they took over less of the market. This is why wealth inequality soared when capitalism went global in the 20th century. Potential markets grew to astronomical size,... See more

High school taught me big words. College rewarded me for using big words. Then I graduated and realized that intelligent readers outside the classroom don’t want big words. They want complex ideas made simple.

In a way, basic income as an automation solution is both too much and not enough. It’s too much of a solution for the problem of long-run mass technological unemployment, primarily because that’s a fake problem that hasn’t happened yet and likely never will. But it’s not enough of a solution for the temporary dislocation that automation will, in... See more

Anything meaningful takes five years to do, whether that’s getting a company off the ground or mastering a skill.If we start working at 20, that’s 60 productive years — or 12 five-year blocks to do new things, then move on.Instead of living one life or career, why not live a dozen instead?This ebb and flow of interest and desire feels natural to... See more

This is the fundamental tension: culture vs. math. 1. Management has clearly and consistently shown a greater preference for offices than workers. vs 2. During a downtown, it’s clearly advantageous for zombie-office companies to reduce their footprint