Craig Newmark

A nerd's gotta do what a nerd's gotta do.

A nerd's gotta do what a nerd's gotta do.

Well, I had moved to San Francisco and I was starting to rediscover the internet and a lot of people helped me with everyday stuff. And then I decided early 95, I should reciprocate. So I started a very simple events related mailing list. We hit a million page views per month. And so in early 99, I turned Craigslist the hobby. into Craigslist, the company.

Well, I had moved to San Francisco and I was starting to rediscover the internet and a lot of people helped me with everyday stuff. And then I decided early 95, I should reciprocate. So I started a very simple events related mailing list. We hit a million page views per month. And so in early 99, I turned Craigslist the hobby. into Craigslist, the company.

The hard decision I made had to do with offers and so on from the bankers and venture capitalists. They told me that they wanted to throw billions of dollars at me. I would have to do the usual Silicon Valley thing, monetizing everything, and arguably selling out my community. So I decided...

The hard decision I made had to do with offers and so on from the bankers and venture capitalists. They told me that they wanted to throw billions of dollars at me. I would have to do the usual Silicon Valley thing, monetizing everything, and arguably selling out my community. So I decided...

I've recently reflected on my background and how things started, and I realized it has to do with Sunday school at the Jewish Community Center in Mars 10, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Levin made sure that I had a pretty good grounding leading to a good moral compass. They taught me to treat people like I want to be treated. They taught me to know when enough is enough.

I've recently reflected on my background and how things started, and I realized it has to do with Sunday school at the Jewish Community Center in Mars 10, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Levin made sure that I had a pretty good grounding leading to a good moral compass. They taught me to treat people like I want to be treated. They taught me to know when enough is enough.

And they taught me that now and then I should be my brother's keeper. my sister's keeper, and that defined my initial moral compass. It was reinforced at different points of my life. For example, in high school, I took a really good U.S. history and civics class.

And they taught me that now and then I should be my brother's keeper. my sister's keeper, and that defined my initial moral compass. It was reinforced at different points of my life. For example, in high school, I took a really good U.S. history and civics class.

Mr. Shulsky made sure I understood the role of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and how you have to both simultaneously fight crime while respecting due process and those rights in the Bill of Rights. There's been other influences. Most recently, very importantly, there's this guy named Leonard Cohen, who is effectively my rabbi, and his music also serves to reinforce my moral compass.

Mr. Shulsky made sure I understood the role of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution and how you have to both simultaneously fight crime while respecting due process and those rights in the Bill of Rights. There's been other influences. Most recently, very importantly, there's this guy named Leonard Cohen, who is effectively my rabbi, and his music also serves to reinforce my moral compass.

I'm not sure. I've been thinking that I went numb on the event, on the whole situation, and I think I was already having some socialization problems. So as a way of retreating from people, maybe, That pushed me pretty hard in the direction of poor socialization, inability to read social cues. Some of that's the essence of being a nerd in the original sense.

I'm not sure. I've been thinking that I went numb on the event, on the whole situation, and I think I was already having some socialization problems. So as a way of retreating from people, maybe, That pushed me pretty hard in the direction of poor socialization, inability to read social cues. Some of that's the essence of being a nerd in the original sense.

It helped and didn't help that I was smart in the academic sense, good at science, technology, math, but I grew to be pretty poor at reading people, working with people in high school. And that nerd quality, that lack of social skills, that's still a problem for me even now. I mean, I've learned a lot of things the hard way, and I can simulate or fake social skills for a while, but not very long.

It helped and didn't help that I was smart in the academic sense, good at science, technology, math, but I grew to be pretty poor at reading people, working with people in high school. And that nerd quality, that lack of social skills, that's still a problem for me even now. I mean, I've learned a lot of things the hard way, and I can simulate or fake social skills for a while, but not very long.

The biggest shaping experience in my professional career was being very serious about providing good customer service at Craigslist, or the best customer service that I could.

The biggest shaping experience in my professional career was being very serious about providing good customer service at Craigslist, or the best customer service that I could.

You may know that around the beginning of 2000, having realized that as a manager, I suck, well, the deal is simply, I realized that I should become a full-time customer service rep, and I am a really good customer service rep.

You may know that around the beginning of 2000, having realized that as a manager, I suck, well, the deal is simply, I realized that I should become a full-time customer service rep, and I am a really good customer service rep.