“The crucial people to get your product started for the first 6 months are not who will be using it 3 years later.” PeopleYearsFirstsProductsMonthsCrucial Author:Emmett Shear
“When you're making a critical decision, you have to understand how it's going to be interpreted from all points of view. Not just your point of view, not just the person you're talking to, but the people that aren't in the room. Everybody else.” PeoplePersonsDecisionRoomsViewsTalkingManagementCriticalPoint Of ViewCritical Decisions Author:Ben Horowitz
“The right answer on raises is you have to be formal. You have to be formal to save your own culture.” CultureAnswersRaisesManagementFormalRight Answers Author:Ben Horowitz
“The bigger you get, the harder this gets because the more aggressive the people working for you are.” PeopleBiggerHarderManagementAggressive Author:Ben Horowitz
“Your employees know each other better than they know you.” KnowsManagementEmployee Author:Ben Horowitz
“The person they're working with, is going to be the person they'll know more. So if that person leaves, they're going to go - well, should have I left too? What did they get and how does that compare to my deal.” IfsKnowsShouldWellsPersonsDoeLeftDealsShould HaveManagementCompare Author:Ben Horowitz
“Volatility and length, that's the value on an option. 10 years on a startup stock, that's a big valuable thing.” YearsBigsValuesManagementValuableLengthValuable ThingsVolatility Author:Ben Horowitz
“The most important thing you can learn as CEO- one of the hardest things to do is, you have to discipline yourself to see your company... through the eyes of the people that you're working through. Through the eyes of the employees, through the eyes of your partners... through the eyes of the people who you're not talking to and who are not in the room.” PeopleImportantEyeRoomsCompanyTalkingDisciplineManagementImportant ThingsPartnersHardestThings To DoEmployeeCeoHardest ThingNot TalkingThrough The EyesHardest Thing To Do Author:Ben Horowitz
“Generally the reason they fail in the job is, you made some mistake in the hiring process in that you didn't match... them to the needs of your company accurately enough. That's the #1 reason this fails. And that's generally a good place to start: Here's where we are and here's what I didn't recognize about us and about you when I made the decision, and now it is what it is.” NeedsMadeReasonEnoughJobsProcessDecisionMistakeCompanyFailingManagementHiringGood PlaceIt Is What It Is Author:Ben Horowitz