Jens Grede

But it wasn't supposed to be.

It was supposed to be in GQ when he knew about it.

And he taught me this idea of not to break things.

You didn't have to be first.

You needed to be at the forefront of your own customer.

That thinking has really reflected on most things I've been involved with.

I'm not so worried about always being first, a product being first, or first mover advantage.

I think it's sometimes phenomenal to be number two or three.

That can be a much better place to be, in fact.

I'm focused more when I think it's right, where it resonates with me, and I'm not necessarily on the cutting edge.

but I'm probably the tip of the spear of mainstream.

And the other thing, working for a magazine called Wallpaper in the UK, under the guy who founded that magazine called Tyler Brule, I learned two things.

One is that a magazine can be a reflection of your own interest in your own life.

And Wallpaper just was a total reflection of what we as a team were living through in that moment in time.

And I think that's what made it so powerful.

it also taught me that you can't hold on to a good idea.

Meaning when you're early on something, when you found a different way to communicate or speak or create product, everybody's going to pile in.

You have to continue to transform on your way up.

Because once you plateau, it's already too late.

A guy that made a big impression on me was a guy called Pierre Yves Roussel.