
Most people won't - imd23
http://bryce.vc/post/64889707700/most-people-wont#notes
======
spodek
Everybody so far is commenting on the woman who approached the CEO.

Let's not forget the CEO, who committed and risked resources on a hunch or
instinct or who-knows-what.

If I had to pick one of the two to ask how they had the nerve to act and to
learn from, I'd pick him. (Of course I'd prefer both and not to belittle her
gumption and skills to back it up).

\- What did he see to suggest risking those resources? ... To create a team of
outsiders to work on the _core_ app?

\- How likely did he expect things to work out?

\- How did he explain the expenditure of flying the others in to the CFO or
whomever?

\- Or did he make a unilateral decision without asking others?

\- Did he just get lucky?

\- Had he done things like this before and succeeded? Failed?

\- Was he worried about making waves in his organization? Did he?

Plenty more questions pop up...

~~~
bowlofpetunias
I have some doubts about the CEO.

It's very common in these kind of scenarios that either a) the same criticism
/ suggestions have been made regularly over a long time by people inside the
company which have gone ignored, or b) the company has a culture in which that
information never reaches the CEO, either out of fear or because of middle
management layers.

In both those cases, the CEO is actually mismanaging the company and
completely undermining the motivation and loyalty of his employees.

I've seen this happen time and time again. CEO's and managers don't accept
internal criticism or suggestions, don't give their people the freedom to take
action themselves, but some outsider swoops in with an impressive Powerpoint
presentation (or dress) and suddenly they see the light.

It's the opposite of taking risks (you can blame the outsiders if it fails),
it's actually cowardice.

~~~
imd23
There may be a big amount of variables playing here that we might no be taking
in consideration so I wouldn't say that.

Even if that's the case, I think sometimes this is what needs to happen that
makes you realize the change/s that has to be done to be better. (be more
transparent, fire some managers or key people, etc.)

~~~
bowlofpetunias
Just to be clear, I'm not saying this is the case here, but it's definitely a
common scenario.

Either way it's a very strong vote of no confidence in the existing staff by
the CEO.

Unless there is a long story of trying to improve the app internally, it
appears this CEO decided at the bar that his own staff wasn't good enough and
needed to be replaced with external consultants without considering other root
causes (including himself).

Executives that are easily persuaded by the sales pitches of external
consultants and don't listen to their own people are a dime a dozen.

------
md224
I've been kind of struggling lately with this sort of inspirational attitude.
It seems like a good attitude, but it also comes with this hidden assumption:
if you try hard and keep at it, there's a good chance you'll succeed. Is this
actually true?

I mean I want it to be true. I'd like to live in a world where it's true. But
I don't actually have any hard evidence besides the testimonials of people who
have found success, and I'm not sure if it's survivorship bias or an accurate
picture of how one can become successful.

My theory is that chances of success are incredibly variable, and trying hard
and putting yourself out there will increase that chance, but I can't figure
out a ballpark for the baseline.

Is it even possible to crunch the numbers on something like this? I feel like
we'll never know.

Knowing you gave it a shot is the important part, I suppose.

~~~
WalterBright
The failure rate for those who don't try is 100%.

~~~
md224
But what if the failure rate for those who do try is 99%? Trying isn't always
zero-risk... I wonder if ambition could be subject to a cost/benefit analysis,
haha. At some point I suppose you just have to let go of the numbers.

~~~
WalterBright
If you are looking for reasons to not try, you're going to find an endless
supply of them.

I've done a lot of things that people relentlessly told me I had no chance of
accomplishing.

~~~
delluminatus
You are either...

1\. Extraordinary, and able to achieve what others cannot. 2\. Lucky, and by
chance successful in an area where success is hard to find. 3\. Being told
that you have no chance of accomplishing things that are actually not very
hard. 4\. A living example of how anybody can do that which they set their
mind to.

If you're 1, then other people can't use your experience as a guideline. If
you're 2, then people can't use your experience as a guideline. If you're 3,
then people can't use your experience as a guideline.

If you think you're 4, then you're either 1, 2, or 3, and just don't realize
it yet.

------
pkulak
I hate this self empowerment bullshit. Do people have any idea what this
sounds like to people with actual, real problems? Your life can't be solved by
positive thinking and being impulsive. In fact, I can make a very good case
that that kind of attitude will create far more problems than it solves. Hell,
I'm sure I could come up with _two_ anecdotes, which is already twice the
evidence given by this blog post.

~~~
jonathanjaeger
They've done studies that show if you force yourself to smile, even if you're
in a bad mood, it'll make you happier. Even if it's forced, it still helps.

This same idea can be applied to self-empowerment and it works for people.
Just because it's cheesy doesn't mean it doesn't work. I mean, even knowing
you're taking a placebo can still lead to positive outcomes.

~~~
wpietri
One of the related studies I like comes from Richard Wiseman. Basically, lucky
is somewhere between an attitude and a skill:

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-
its-a...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3304496/Be-lucky-its-an-easy-
skill-to-learn.html)

I agree with pkulak that a lot of self-empowerment stuff is bullshit. And some
of it is dangerous bullshit. But a lot of it is _effective_ bullshit because
it works to counter the _ineffective_ bullshit that lives in our heads.

It's crazy. But, then, we're made out of meat. The whole thing's crazy.

------
hawkharris
To me the most interesting aspect of this story isn't the inspirational "don't
be afraid to try" message. That's a sentiment most people have heard, and I
don't think this story puts a particularly new spin on it.

The interesting bit, I think, is how the protagonist challenged the
traditional relationship between employer and job seeker. Instead of pandering
by praising Uber's design, she had the guts - possibly because of whiskey :) -
to offer thoughtful criticism of the product.

As someone who recently finished a tough job search, I found this concept very
liberating. Following the traditional process - researching a company's best
features, trying to say the right things in interviews, waiting for callbacks
- can feel discouraging. It can be like a bad round of speed dating.

Finding a creative, respectful way to point out a company's flaws is an
innovative approach that, when done appropriately, can shift the ball back
into the candidate's court.

------
ritchiea
Great story. That's really the right way to get a new job, tell the CEO of a
company exactly how you can help her/his company. And smart of the Uber CEO to
listen to her.

That said it really helps if you're already hanging around at a party with a
CEO of a big, in the news, growing startup and thus have insider access to
tell him exactly what you think after a few drinks.

~~~
ericabiz
> That said it really helps if you're already hanging around at a party with a
> CEO of a big, in the news, growing startup and thus have insider access to
> tell him exactly what you think after a few drinks.

Sigh.

I know Travis personally. I met him years ago, before Uber was even a twinkle
in his eye, and he was running his last company, Red Swoosh.

There's no "insider" here. I graduated high school, turned 18, and moved to
the Valley in 1999. I stayed there for the next 10 years. My parents are not
technical and I'm from a small town in Indiana.

I did not get a college degree and I did not go to a prestigious university. I
knew no one when I moved there. Eventually, years later, as the startup
community coalesced and we all recovered from the pit of despair that was
2001-2002 in the Valley, people started having parties.

I went to socialize. I met many of the "heavy hitters" you see today. And I
built a successful tech company with many of them as customers.

Yeah, the articles love to talk about Stanford grads and whatnot. Maybe they
had it easier than me. I don't know. What I do know is I came out there with
nothing but guts and a car (that literally exploded on me a year later)
and...most importantly...no belief that I _couldn 't_ succeed or that I
wouldn't make it.

It does take guts to pack your shit and sleep on the floor for a while, but
eventually it does pay off. I'm running my second successful tech company now,
this time in Austin, where again I know most of the folks in the startup
community. Not because I'm some sort of "insider", but just because I went out
there and met everyone, and I asked them for advice.

There's nothing stopping you, or anyone else reading this, from doing the
same. Can't afford a ticket to the Valley, or don't want to deal with
immigration laws? Find a booming startup metropolis somewhere else and get to
know the people there. Startups are global now and it's a beautiful thing. But
don't buy into the negative media hype.

~~~
ritchiea
I am happy for you. It sounds like you've worked hard and done some great
stuff. That said I have no idea what your reply has to do with my comment. The
anecdote in the parent is a story about an ex-IDEO employee encountering a big
name startup CEO at private tech industry party. Noting that there's a high
level of insiderness in the anecdotes doesn't mean that it is not possible to
accomplish a great deal without first becoming an insider.

Really your short bio of your self makes a better "most people won't" anecdote
than the original post.

I don't think my comment was overly cynical. I don't mean to tell anyone they
are incapable of accomplishing things and I definitely don't believe that you
have to start out privileged to make an impact on the world.

------
imd23
I couldn't feel more identified.

I've done similar things sometimes (not playing at that level but, similar in
the end) and what I felt was a big discomfort and a really huge passion for
something.

You want to defend your values.

These two together creates a willingness to change the status quo and make
something better can move mountains. At the same time I can say this seconds
you are terribly fragile.

Not even courage is needed. That's why it's so difficult to explain, it's
something you feel inside and need to get out.

------
charlieirish
Most people won't and most people don't [1]

Is this lack of willpower or the lack of challenging the status quo innate or
learned? Is it possible to go from somebody who doesn't to somebody who does?
All the great doers that I have ever met don't follow the same routines. They
don't have a magic formula that will work for you. The echo chamber of self-
help books works for some people because it gives them the kick they need. For
others they 'feel' better but they don't actually change their behaviour. What
seems to work is to understand yourself and to understand when you are
productive or creative. Then, encourage this time and cultivate it so that it
becomes a regular part of your routine.

[1] [http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/people-
dont/](http://www.startupclarity.com/blog/people-dont/)

------
medell
Great story. Uber got shutdown here in Vancouver last November, but I was
curious what it looked like. To save you a few clicks:
[https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/uber/id368677368?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/uber/id368677368?mt=8)

------
applecore
What did the Uber app look like, before and after?

------
tomasien
Her use of the word "liminal" in Elle's profile he links to reminded me of the
most culturally unifying thing I ever read -
[http://www2.fiu.edu/~ereserve/010010095-1.pdf](http://www2.fiu.edu/~ereserve/010010095-1.pdf)

Amazing how societies all have this same period, whether it's college or 3
years in the woods. The rules are weirdly the same - "there's a time for
everything, and it's college" translates to a random tribe in Africa almost
literally.

------
greendata
Great story. Uber sounds like a wonderful place to work at. To those
commenting that this is a BS self-empowerment article, I disagree. The founder
probably knew that these design issues were a problem.

A competent designer gave a criticism and a solution. She was offered a job if
she could fix the issues. Seems like a story of hard work by a good designer
and team who displayed a dedication to their craft. Show up, work hard, and
don't be afraid to pitch your ideas you believe in.

------
dm8
I think it is about the decisiveness of a founder. It's not about asking her
to come at 9. It's about having a team ready by Monday and flying people from
out of town.

Although, I appreciate that the designer took his offer seriously. More
importantly, it's the guts of a founder in this case that made it happen.

------
tacoman
Uber should also overhaul their website. I had to go to wikipedia to figure
out what this company does.

------
stephenaturner
Nice. I think the CEO already knew his app sucked, so she didn't have to
convince him of that, but obviously she convinced him she was the best person
to fix it, and that's great.

------
mipapage
His working out at Gym Jones is showing thru in this post! Very Mark Twight-
ish.

------
useraccount
This is vapid as hell.

------
sandeshkumar
Uber, indeed!

------
Thatguise
These stories are everywhere, is like the one about the guy who bought a
porsche for spare change because the seller was the owner's ex-wife and wanted
to piss her ex off.

You do know that was a coincidence right? or even a miracle given how well
things ended up. Has the uber guy been a little pissed or in a bad mood the
results could have been drastically different, and yet your blog-worthy
suggestion is to take a leap of faith and see if it works.

Who cares, we are telling unexperienced, unprepared and even untalented kids
to quit school and launch a "startup", whatever that means now.

~~~
davidu
That's actually not the point at all.

The point is to take the risk. Sometimes you'll find the person in the bad
mood, but sometimes, just sometimes, it works, and when it does, it works
great. And you don't need to share w/ the world the 5 other people you tried
it on who weren't feeling serendipitous that day.

History is told by the victors, after all.

------
axaxs
Liquid confidence is not special. This was a case of good luck and little
motivation.

------
jseliger
<blockquote>The statement of the Shimura-Taniyama-Weil conjecture must have
sounded crazy to its creators. . . . the idea that this was true. . . must
have sounded totally outrageous at the time. This was a leap of faith, in the
form of a question that [Taniyama] posed at the International Symposium on
Algebraic Number Theory held in Tokyo in September 1955.

I've always wondered: what did it take for him to come to <em>believe</em>
that this wasn't crazy, but real? To have the courage to say it publicly?

We'll never know. Unfortunately, not long after his great discovery, in
November 1958, Taniyama committed suicide. He was only thirty-one. To add to
the tragedy, shortly afterward the woman whom he was planning to marry also
took her life, leaving the following note:

<blockquote>We promised each other that no matter where we went, we would
never be separated. Now that he is gone, I must go too in order to join
him.</blockquote>

. . . In his thoughtful essay about Tayniyama, Shimura made this striking
comment:

<blockquote>Though he was by no means a sloppy type, he was gifted with the
special capability of making many mistakes, mostly in the right direction. I
envied him for this, and tried in vain to imitate him, but found it quite
difficult to make good mistakes. (94) </blockquote></blockquote>

—Edward Frenkel, <a href="[http://www.amazon.com/Love-Math-Heart-Hidden-
Reality/dp/0465...](http://www.amazon.com/Love-Math-Heart-Hidden-
Reality/dp/0465050743?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=thstsst-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957"><em>Love)
and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality</em></a>, which is recommended.

What mistakes have you made lately?

