Tim O'Reilly

I had always run a very paternalistic company, and I still remember it. I was sitting there poring over the lists of people who were trying to figure out who to lay off. And I have a binder with all the names. And we were probably 300 or 400 people at the time. I had to let go of 100 people. And I suddenly, I go, why is there all this hair on my binder? Wow.

I had always run a very paternalistic company, and I still remember it. I was sitting there poring over the lists of people who were trying to figure out who to lay off. And I have a binder with all the names. And we were probably 300 or 400 people at the time. I had to let go of 100 people. And I suddenly, I go, why is there all this hair on my binder? Wow.

I mean, literally, my hair was falling out. I was so stressed. Not only that, I then didn't get paid myself for a couple of years. because we had some debt that I had to basically sign a personal guarantee on all the business debt. So it was pretty, pretty rough.

I mean, literally, my hair was falling out. I was so stressed. Not only that, I then didn't get paid myself for a couple of years. because we had some debt that I had to basically sign a personal guarantee on all the business debt. So it was pretty, pretty rough.

I didn't think about it as having to motivate myself to get through it. I remember once reading Sir Joshua Slocum's book about sailing around the world solo. He's in a big storm and he's lashed himself to the wheel. It goes on for like several days. It's like, if I fall asleep, if I let go, I will die. And at first he said, I can make it through another hour, another day or whatever.

I didn't think about it as having to motivate myself to get through it. I remember once reading Sir Joshua Slocum's book about sailing around the world solo. He's in a big storm and he's lashed himself to the wheel. It goes on for like several days. It's like, if I fall asleep, if I let go, I will die. And at first he said, I can make it through another hour, another day or whatever.

And then it's like, I can make it through another hour. And then ultimately I can make it through another minute. And I was just like, okay. It just never occurred to me that there was an alternative to to going forward. I don't know, partly because I felt enormous responsibility to all the people who worked for me.

And then it's like, I can make it through another hour. And then ultimately I can make it through another minute. And I was just like, okay. It just never occurred to me that there was an alternative to to going forward. I don't know, partly because I felt enormous responsibility to all the people who worked for me.

And I guess that's something also that just, there were two books that I read when I was a teenager that really shaped my view of leadership. One was Dune, which of course I had read it when I was 13 or 14. I later got to meet Frank and write a book about him and his work. But there's a scene early in Dune where

And I guess that's something also that just, there were two books that I read when I was a teenager that really shaped my view of leadership. One was Dune, which of course I had read it when I was 13 or 14. I later got to meet Frank and write a book about him and his work. But there's a scene early in Dune where

Paul's father goes down to, you probably remember if you saw the movies recently, he goes down to rescue the men in the stranded in the spice crawler. And the people are all amazed to see that he risks his own life for his people. And it's just in the book, it's just super clear. That's the compact of leadership. And I probably had gotten that even, I don't remember which one I read first.

Paul's father goes down to, you probably remember if you saw the movies recently, he goes down to rescue the men in the stranded in the spice crawler. And the people are all amazed to see that he risks his own life for his people. And it's just in the book, it's just super clear. That's the compact of leadership. And I probably had gotten that even, I don't remember which one I read first.

It was a wonderful historical novel called The Golden Warrior by Hope Muntz about Harold, the last of the Saxon kings. And if you don't know the history, he had had a huge battle up in the north of England with the Vikings who'd invaded with his half-brother, Tostig, and he fought them off. And then William invades in the south. And everybody's saying, you've got to regroup, you've got to regroup.

It was a wonderful historical novel called The Golden Warrior by Hope Muntz about Harold, the last of the Saxon kings. And if you don't know the history, he had had a huge battle up in the north of England with the Vikings who'd invaded with his half-brother, Tostig, and he fought them off. And then William invades in the south. And everybody's saying, you've got to regroup, you've got to regroup.

And at least as told in this novel, he was like, that's not the deal. These people follow me and I protect them, that is the deal. And so he basically went south to his death, right? And it's a beautiful story. And it just totally shaped my idea of what it meant. So these people are choosing to follow me and I owe them a duty of loyalty.

And at least as told in this novel, he was like, that's not the deal. These people follow me and I protect them, that is the deal. And so he basically went south to his death, right? And it's a beautiful story. And it just totally shaped my idea of what it meant. So these people are choosing to follow me and I owe them a duty of loyalty.

And I kind of had this idea of a company as a pact of mutual loyalty. Of course, not at all how people think of it these days, but that was sort of my root version of entrepreneurship and leadership. It was probably very tribal in a sense. You kind of go, I've got to bring down the mammoth, you know, because we're starving. And so we just tried different things.

And I kind of had this idea of a company as a pact of mutual loyalty. Of course, not at all how people think of it these days, but that was sort of my root version of entrepreneurship and leadership. It was probably very tribal in a sense. You kind of go, I've got to bring down the mammoth, you know, because we're starving. And so we just tried different things.

Two years after the dot-com bust, we were still hurting. But our strategic goal for that year was how do we reignite enthusiasm in the computer industry? Because everybody was like, it's over. And that's when I basically told the story of Web 2.0. Why did some companies survive the dot-com bust? Why Google? Why Amazon? Why did they flourish when so many other companies died?

Two years after the dot-com bust, we were still hurting. But our strategic goal for that year was how do we reignite enthusiasm in the computer industry? Because everybody was like, it's over. And that's when I basically told the story of Web 2.0. Why did some companies survive the dot-com bust? Why Google? Why Amazon? Why did they flourish when so many other companies died?