Matt Huang

So I was sitting at Twitter one day and a random email appeared in my inbox, which was a recruiter reaching out about an opening at Sequoia. And I had no actually ambition or intention to become an investor or venture capitalist. So I actually initially thought the email was a spam mistake. Why would they send that to me? Wouldn't they be looking at

So I was sitting at Twitter one day and a random email appeared in my inbox, which was a recruiter reaching out about an opening at Sequoia. And I had no actually ambition or intention to become an investor or venture capitalist. So I actually initially thought the email was a spam mistake. Why would they send that to me? Wouldn't they be looking at

I don't know who feeds into, yeah, exactly, an investor or maybe like a banker or something that might feed into the investment world. I didn't have real understanding at the time of the varied backgrounds that end up in the space. But I was intrigued and ended up taking the call with Pat Grady, who I think you know. As he was telling me about Sequoia, I just started to get very interested in it.

I don't know who feeds into, yeah, exactly, an investor or maybe like a banker or something that might feed into the investment world. I didn't have real understanding at the time of the varied backgrounds that end up in the space. But I was intrigued and ended up taking the call with Pat Grady, who I think you know. As he was telling me about Sequoia, I just started to get very interested in it.

And I met more and more of the team and I still think it's one of the highest quality teams and cultures on the planet. Again, I was interested in investing, but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do it. But I decided to join almost purely based on the strength of the team.

And I met more and more of the team and I still think it's one of the highest quality teams and cultures on the planet. Again, I was interested in investing, but I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do it. But I decided to join almost purely based on the strength of the team.

It was definitely profound. I'd say the biggest thing is probably exposure to high standards. It's probably the highest standard place I've ever experienced, inclusive of startups that I'm involved in and inclusive of Paradigm, their ability to maintain extremely high standards. I think it helps to have the legendary history of Apple and Google and Cisco.

It was definitely profound. I'd say the biggest thing is probably exposure to high standards. It's probably the highest standard place I've ever experienced, inclusive of startups that I'm involved in and inclusive of Paradigm, their ability to maintain extremely high standards. I think it helps to have the legendary history of Apple and Google and Cisco.

It's an impressive wall when you walk in there. Yeah. The logo wall. The posters and the S1s, the absurd statistic of 20% of the NASDAQ. So I think that helps. And when your track record includes those things, even something that would seem like a great success to anyone else would be small ball.

It's an impressive wall when you walk in there. Yeah. The logo wall. The posters and the S1s, the absurd statistic of 20% of the NASDAQ. So I think that helps. And when your track record includes those things, even something that would seem like a great success to anyone else would be small ball.

So there were many days when there were multi-hundred million dollar outcomes that would be kind of viewed as a mediocre success. I remember day two of me joining was the WhatsApp acquisition getting announced. And there was this very awkward champagne celebration in the lobby. They called everyone out there. There are all these glasses. Everyone raises a glass. Nobody drinks.

So there were many days when there were multi-hundred million dollar outcomes that would be kind of viewed as a mediocre success. I remember day two of me joining was the WhatsApp acquisition getting announced. And there was this very awkward champagne celebration in the lobby. They called everyone out there. There are all these glasses. Everyone raises a glass. Nobody drinks.

And everyone, five minutes later, goes back to their desk to work. So it's not a culture that celebrates often. But yeah, I think high standards is not just on the company or investment level, but on individuals, taste in individuals, standards for yourself. They aim to operate at such a high level that I think Tyler Cowen has a

And everyone, five minutes later, goes back to their desk to work. So it's not a culture that celebrates often. But yeah, I think high standards is not just on the company or investment level, but on individuals, taste in individuals, standards for yourself. They aim to operate at such a high level that I think Tyler Cowen has a

blog posts on this of like one of the free lunches is raising the ambitions of the people around you. I do think cultures of high standards are this version of putting surplus out in the world. If you expose someone to that, you can permanently alter their standards for everything.

blog posts on this of like one of the free lunches is raising the ambitions of the people around you. I do think cultures of high standards are this version of putting surplus out in the world. If you expose someone to that, you can permanently alter their standards for everything.

I mean, that question is somewhat framed in kind of the negative version of it, which is you're doing poorly, you need to do better. There's also another version, which is the positive flip of that, of you're awesome, we believe in you. And I would say Sequoia, Doug Leone in particular, was a big impact on me.

I mean, that question is somewhat framed in kind of the negative version of it, which is you're doing poorly, you need to do better. There's also another version, which is the positive flip of that, of you're awesome, we believe in you. And I would say Sequoia, Doug Leone in particular, was a big impact on me.

I think the first investment I sourced and brought to the firm and we ended up choosing to invest was when I worked on with him. And in that process, one, just getting to observe him work with that team, but then have him validate the opinions that I was having about the investment and what we should do with the company was a very ambition-increasing, confidence-increasing experience.

I think the first investment I sourced and brought to the firm and we ended up choosing to invest was when I worked on with him. And in that process, one, just getting to observe him work with that team, but then have him validate the opinions that I was having about the investment and what we should do with the company was a very ambition-increasing, confidence-increasing experience.