Adam Leventhal

No, that's totally, that's right. It was kind of first adult mold, but almost to a person, the CTO would kind of describe the role as like, we've got this cake. I enjoy eating cake, but mostly I like eating frosting. So I'm going to lick off all the frosting. And then I thought you as the first adult would enjoy eating the rest of the cake.

And William, that the buying in process was clearly them saying like, you'll still be able to like gorge yourself on frosting. Don't worry. Like it's like, Right. Like you, you only like the process. And I remember this one company in particular plaid where the founders talked to me, young guys. Oh God. No, they were great. They were, they were, they were fantastic.

And William, that the buying in process was clearly them saying like, you'll still be able to like gorge yourself on frosting. Don't worry. Like it's like, Right. Like you, you only like the process. And I remember this one company in particular plaid where the founders talked to me, young guys. Oh God. No, they were great. They were, they were, they were fantastic.

And they were like, we want to hire people who can help us see around corners. Like we don't want to have to be like encounter every mistake that uh, the hard way. That is great. Yeah. We want to, we want to learn from the mistakes other folks have made. Uh, and I, I just found it to be so, and like, so terrific. I would say the Collison brothers are similar in that regard.

And they were like, we want to hire people who can help us see around corners. Like we don't want to have to be like encounter every mistake that uh, the hard way. That is great. Yeah. We want to, we want to learn from the mistakes other folks have made. Uh, and I, I just found it to be so, and like, so terrific. I would say the Collison brothers are similar in that regard.

Well, for me, it turned out very poorly.

Well, for me, it turned out very poorly.

Actually, the way it turned out for me, well, Plaid turned out gangbusters. Right, exactly. I mean, put that in, I think I've talked about my poor financial decisions in the past. It turned out, as I thought about it harder, I was just not interested in the problem space. Every engineer I spoke with there was meticulous about personal finances, loved it as a hobby almost.

Actually, the way it turned out for me, well, Plaid turned out gangbusters. Right, exactly. I mean, put that in, I think I've talked about my poor financial decisions in the past. It turned out, as I thought about it harder, I was just not interested in the problem space. Every engineer I spoke with there was meticulous about personal finances, loved it as a hobby almost.

That sounds like a great fit for, no, wait a minute, that's not a great fit for me. Well, I was like, I've never balanced my checkbook. I only sort of know what that means to do as an activity. So I just realized that the problem space was not a good match.

That sounds like a great fit for, no, wait a minute, that's not a great fit for me. Well, I was like, I've never balanced my checkbook. I only sort of know what that means to do as an activity. So I just realized that the problem space was not a good match.

Yeah. Unusual, especially like, I think these guys were in their late twenties at the time. Very unusual. I think. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah. Unusual, especially like, I think these guys were in their late twenties at the time. Very unusual. I think. Yeah, exactly.

Well, it's so hard to know that you're drawing the right lessons from success or like that. Oh, for sure. Like that, you know, um, A couple of companies ago, Delphix, we talked to lots of folks from VMware. We were doing something virtualization-related and VMware was doing something virtualization-related.

Well, it's so hard to know that you're drawing the right lessons from success or like that. Oh, for sure. Like that, you know, um, A couple of companies ago, Delphix, we talked to lots of folks from VMware. We were doing something virtualization-related and VMware was doing something virtualization-related.

There were lots of folks who were early but not super early at VMware who drew all kinds of weird result inferences from their success.

There were lots of folks who were early but not super early at VMware who drew all kinds of weird result inferences from their success.

Yeah. There's a great line in that piece from Tim where he was talking about an interview with Michael Lewis where Michael Lewis said, you don't know the book you've written until people tell you what they've read or something along those lines. Does this have a Sam Bankman Freed kind of moral to it?

Yeah. There's a great line in that piece from Tim where he was talking about an interview with Michael Lewis where Michael Lewis said, you don't know the book you've written until people tell you what they've read or something along those lines. Does this have a Sam Bankman Freed kind of moral to it?

Yeah. Even the culture you're creating, like even the culture that we're creating here. Oh, for sure. Go figure out how new employees experience it to understand what it actually looks like.