Josh Kushner
๐ค SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Well, I think as a firm, we've always taken a very different approach with regards to how we present ourselves to the world. And I think that has come from a couple of different frameworks. The first is, and most important, our belief that the founders are heroes and the idea of taking credit for their success is not something that we've ever wanted to do.
Well, I think as a firm, we've always taken a very different approach with regards to how we present ourselves to the world. And I think that has come from a couple of different frameworks. The first is, and most important, our belief that the founders are heroes and the idea of taking credit for their success is not something that we've ever wanted to do.
I think personally, the construct of seeking validation from others is not something that we've ever believed would lead to us getting to the right conclusions on things that we do. We've always been different in that we don't apply to the Midas list or things like that, just because even internally, forget about how we would want to be perceived externally.
I think personally, the construct of seeking validation from others is not something that we've ever believed would lead to us getting to the right conclusions on things that we do. We've always been different in that we don't apply to the Midas list or things like that, just because even internally, forget about how we would want to be perceived externally.
Every single win that we have is the entire firm's win. And every single loss that we have is the entire firm's loss. I know you've had Shane Battier on the show before, and we all quote the no stat all-star often. Such an incredible piece. Yeah. There's a great story that we remind the entire organization about often, which is I led investment in Slack. I sourced the deal. I underwrote the deal.
Every single win that we have is the entire firm's win. And every single loss that we have is the entire firm's loss. I know you've had Shane Battier on the show before, and we all quote the no stat all-star often. Such an incredible piece. Yeah. There's a great story that we remind the entire organization about often, which is I led investment in Slack. I sourced the deal. I underwrote the deal.
I joined the board. I was the person who ultimately decided when we should exit the company. But as we were talking about it as a team, I was extremely nervous about the price that we were about to pay. And my partner, Kareem, who was not involved in the underwriting process, who had never met Stuart, who did not join the board, was the one who actually convinced me that we should do the deal.
I joined the board. I was the person who ultimately decided when we should exit the company. But as we were talking about it as a team, I was extremely nervous about the price that we were about to pay. And my partner, Kareem, who was not involved in the underwriting process, who had never met Stuart, who did not join the board, was the one who actually convinced me that we should do the deal.
So who gets credit? Is it me? Is it him? No, it's the team. I think if you have that mindset, the idea of being out there in the ways in which others are in our industry is something that we've always gravitated away from. Why do this? I think in many respects, there are negative aspects of the fact that we're not out there and that some people don't really know what we do.
So who gets credit? Is it me? Is it him? No, it's the team. I think if you have that mindset, the idea of being out there in the ways in which others are in our industry is something that we've always gravitated away from. Why do this? I think in many respects, there are negative aspects of the fact that we're not out there and that some people don't really know what we do.
Some people think that we just incubate companies. Some people think that we just make early stage investments. Some people think that we only make later stage investments. A mentor of mine said to me recently, if you don't tell your story, someone else will tell it for you.
Some people think that we just incubate companies. Some people think that we just make early stage investments. Some people think that we only make later stage investments. A mentor of mine said to me recently, if you don't tell your story, someone else will tell it for you.
I feel grateful to have the opportunity to do it with you, but having the ability to articulate to the world what we do and how we do it and why we do it is something that I'm excited to do.
I feel grateful to have the opportunity to do it with you, but having the ability to articulate to the world what we do and how we do it and why we do it is something that I'm excited to do.
Taste is something that you should always question at the same time. Understanding quality and understanding taste and having a deep appreciation for that is something that is fundamentally important, but that doesn't mean that you're always going to get it right. Good design does have some basic principles. It's the people who can, I would say, understand how that design works.
Taste is something that you should always question at the same time. Understanding quality and understanding taste and having a deep appreciation for that is something that is fundamentally important, but that doesn't mean that you're always going to get it right. Good design does have some basic principles. It's the people who can, I would say, understand how that design works.
applies to lots of different industries and sectors and have the capacity to kind of think outside of the box that are ultimately able to thread those common principles through lots of different things.
applies to lots of different industries and sectors and have the capacity to kind of think outside of the box that are ultimately able to thread those common principles through lots of different things.
The people that I respect the most that have the most extraordinary taste, whether it be Bob Iger's ability to understand the difference between what movie is going to work and what movie is not going to work and appreciating creatives. Or you and I have talked a lot about Rick Rubin, why he's able to understand why one musician is better than another is something that is not teachable.
The people that I respect the most that have the most extraordinary taste, whether it be Bob Iger's ability to understand the difference between what movie is going to work and what movie is not going to work and appreciating creatives. Or you and I have talked a lot about Rick Rubin, why he's able to understand why one musician is better than another is something that is not teachable.