Reid Hoffman

Yes. So no... entrepreneur wins at every game. Generally speaking, as an entrepreneur, you should try to play the games that you have a massive competitive edge on. Same thing is true. So some people, for example... Like take Anil Bhusri at Workday, right? He is thoughtful, intentionally cultural building, very professional. So it's a HR product for work.

Yes. So no... entrepreneur wins at every game. Generally speaking, as an entrepreneur, you should try to play the games that you have a massive competitive edge on. Same thing is true. So some people, for example... Like take Anil Bhusri at Workday, right? He is thoughtful, intentionally cultural building, very professional. So it's a HR product for work.

His contrarian idea was going to the cloud and that people were going to do cloud software for the first time. I think it was 500 people that Workday hired. He would always do a cultural interview at the end to make sure that the first 500 people all kind of shared cultural things. So once you get through all the competence and all the rest of the stuff, he would make sure that was a fit.

His contrarian idea was going to the cloud and that people were going to do cloud software for the first time. I think it was 500 people that Workday hired. He would always do a cultural interview at the end to make sure that the first 500 people all kind of shared cultural things. So once you get through all the competence and all the rest of the stuff, he would make sure that was a fit.

And that's part of how you get cultural coherence. That's like one example, right? Another example, Elon is the – Like, I have a big idea and I convince myself 100% that it's absolutely going to be the case. Like, I am going to settle Mars. We're going to terraform Mars in our lifetimes, which is... No, it's impossible.

And that's part of how you get cultural coherence. That's like one example, right? Another example, Elon is the – Like, I have a big idea and I convince myself 100% that it's absolutely going to be the case. Like, I am going to settle Mars. We're going to terraform Mars in our lifetimes, which is... No, it's impossible.

No human being on the planet, including Elon, is going to do that within Elon's lifetime, right? But I'm going to go all in. I'm going to work really hard. I'm going to be technologically sophisticated. I'm going to work against the odds, right, in order to make that work. That's a possibility. You know, Anil, very professional, understands the workplace mark.

No human being on the planet, including Elon, is going to do that within Elon's lifetime, right? But I'm going to go all in. I'm going to work really hard. I'm going to be technologically sophisticated. I'm going to work against the odds, right, in order to make that work. That's a possibility. You know, Anil, very professional, understands the workplace mark.

Elon, like, I think I was like the second person he pitched SpaceX to. And his pitch, though, to my defense was, I'm going to send a turtle to Mars. And I'm like, that's not a business. And you're competing with national governments and like Russian subsidized rocket programs and so forth. This is not a good – I was wrong. He was right. But it's not a good equity, you know, kind of play. Yeah.

Elon, like, I think I was like the second person he pitched SpaceX to. And his pitch, though, to my defense was, I'm going to send a turtle to Mars. And I'm like, that's not a business. And you're competing with national governments and like Russian subsidized rocket programs and so forth. This is not a good – I was wrong. He was right. But it's not a good equity, you know, kind of play. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it was an idea. And I'm going to send a turtle to Mars. And then it became, I'm going to send a gelatinous cube with plant seeds in it to Mars because they'll grow. I'll be the first person who will send life to Mars. And you're like, well, okay. Right. What did you think genuinely when he said that to you? I thought he'd gone off his rocker.

So it was an idea. And I'm going to send a turtle to Mars. And then it became, I'm going to send a gelatinous cube with plant seeds in it to Mars because they'll grow. I'll be the first person who will send life to Mars. And you're like, well, okay. Right. What did you think genuinely when he said that to you? I thought he'd gone off his rocker.

No, no. I've always thought of him as one of the world's great entrepreneurs. Always? Yeah. Yeah, all the way back to PayPal days. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, look, he has done repetitively amazing things. Now, he pitches everything with the same level of certainty. Like, I have this idea for online banking. I have this idea for boring tunnels under cities.

No, no. I've always thought of him as one of the world's great entrepreneurs. Always? Yeah. Yeah, all the way back to PayPal days. Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, look, he has done repetitively amazing things. Now, he pitches everything with the same level of certainty. Like, I have this idea for online banking. I have this idea for boring tunnels under cities.

I have this idea for creating a pneumatic tube for Hyperloop. All of them, he has the same level of, I am 1,000% right that this is guaranteed to be part of the future. And I may be the unique person to make it happen. So you have to have some discernment. But his on-base batting is pretty good. For such major ideas. But it's not 100%.

I have this idea for creating a pneumatic tube for Hyperloop. All of them, he has the same level of, I am 1,000% right that this is guaranteed to be part of the future. And I may be the unique person to make it happen. So you have to have some discernment. But his on-base batting is pretty good. For such major ideas. But it's not 100%.

Um... He hires well. Matter of fact, you can't be a great entrepreneur and not ultimately hire well. I think some people are better hirers. Some people also have – like are the kind of people that people would work for forever. Elon tends to burn people out a lot. Like there's lots of – burnt out people in his wake.

Um... He hires well. Matter of fact, you can't be a great entrepreneur and not ultimately hire well. I think some people are better hirers. Some people also have – like are the kind of people that people would work for forever. Elon tends to burn people out a lot. Like there's lots of – burnt out people in his wake.