Sean Rad
speaker
161 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard Sep 2024
last heard Sep 2024
Sean Rad’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
A little bit. We took enough, and I'm a big believer in this, that take a little bit along the way to live and be comfortable. I think the more you can... create freedom, the more you could give to what matters, which is your company or your relationships. And sometimes money buys that freedom and it allows you to sort of focus even more.
So we did take money along the way and our investors wanted us to do that because I think they realized that, that if we alleviated some of that pressure, then we can go even harder. But we didn't take too much.
I think the better way to think about it is in terms of percentages. Is $5 million too much if you have a billion-dollar company? No. Is $5 million too much if your company is worth $20 million and that's a different scenario?
So first of all, wealth does not bring you happiness. Meaning brings you happiness. Wealth can create meaning up to a certain point, or it could give you freedom to sort of create meaning up to certain points. But wealth on its own does not bring happiness. And I think the other thing people don't ask enough is what is wealth?
If I have great relationships in my life, I have a job that I absolutely love. I feel like I'm making a contribution to those around me. I'm living a life of meaning and purpose. Am I wealthy? Even if I don't have a lot in my bank account, I would say, yeah, you're wealthy. I think people also have to question what is wealth? Is wealth the Bugatti? Is wealth the yacht?
If the person sitting in the yacht has cancerous relationships, is secretly really lonely and isolated and has a lot of noise and has no freedom and no time to be thoughtful, then is that wealth?
That America is the greatest country in the history of all countries.
I think we're going through growing pains, but I think we're still the greatest country in the world. I know you're in the UK.
UK is one of my favorite places in the world.
Look, I think diversity is important. Diversity of perspective, diversity of thought, creating an environment that is meritocratic is equally as important.
I think we've had identity politics invade meritocracy. I think we want to live in a society where I am judged not based on my identity, my age, who I am, but I'm judged based on my contribution and the merits of my work.
And what's beautiful about tech and innovation is that you have an ecosystem, you know, where in my case, you could be a young kid, or in my parents case, they came to this country with $20 in their pockets and had the opportunity regardless of their background. to work hard and succeed. And that is the American dream.
It's the underdog story that you can overcome obstacles and pursue your happiness without your identity being a limiting factor. I don't think we're a perfect meritocracy. I think we need to improve our meritocracy and we need to have more equal opportunity. But I think equal outcome is a very bad thing.
That we lose America's fragile, the ideals that built America fragile, and that we easily take them for granted and we lose those values, such as freedom of speech, such as free will, such as meritocracy. Do you feel you have freedom of speech today? I think we do have freedom of speech. It is under attack.
Now, whether people actually use their freedom of speech and feel safe to speak up is a different story. I think courage, there's a great Winston Churchill quote, courage is the strength to stand up and speak, but also sit down and listen. So I think we need more of that. We need the courage to speak up, but we also need the courage to listen.
And one thing that makes America the greatest country in the world is our openness to debate. And debate leads to better ideas. And it leads to stronger meritalkers.
And when you have a cancel culture where people don't feel safe to speak up and speak their views, or you have a culture where people are not willing or tolerant of other people's views or sit down and listen, then the outcome's never going to be great. We've seen that story before.
And I also think we're losing, I think something that scares me that, you know, we talk a lot about freedom of speech, but we don't talk a lot about freedom, free will. I think right now, social media platforms are to some extent violating my free will by algorithmically picking what content I see and not giving me choice in that equation.
It's the equivalent of turning on the TV and Comcast deciding what I see, but I can't switch the channel, can't switch from CNN to Fox News. There's no opt-out button. There's no opt-in button. When social media was a follower-based economy, I think it was a lot healthier of an ecosystem. This move to an algorithm-based economy has its benefits.
There is some amazing things about that, but I think we are slowly sacrificing free will. And if you have free speech, but you don't have free will, then there's no point of having free speech.
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