
You’re not changing the world - prostoalex
https://m.signalvnoise.com/youre-not-changing-the-world-dc5906819e49
======
AndrewKemendo
It's still unclear to me what DHH's goals are for these pieces.

 _And look, some of them do end up changing the world._

So, if you as a founder have the desire to reshape the world in the way you
want it, then you should not try because the probability of success is low?
That doesn't make sense.

Is the goal to have people lower their expectations? Ok, that's at least a
psycho-social argument for contentment, but are they preaching that people
should embrace mindfulness?

Generally DHH and Fried like to antagonize the idea of moonshot startups with
audacious plans and goals stated as such. Sure, some of them are silly and
over the top and worth a bit of ribbing, however it's been years now and
(having been on the receiving end of one of their rants) it seems entirely
unfocused with no prescription for WHO exactly should be trying to do
moonshots that actually do "change the world." After all they admit that it is
possible to do, so why should people not try?

Make no mistake, they are trying to influence people - like we all are - by
writing these posts. What's the purpose of them if none of it matters?

~~~
askafriend
I think their main goal is to serve as a counterbalance to the prevailing
voices in the industry and to show people that there are various definitions
of success - not just the definition that TechCrunch and the VC circles
elevate.

I welcome their voice. I think it’s a nice counterbalance. We need both kinds
of voices in the room.

~~~
AndrewKemendo
I think that's fair, however the tone seems to be more aggressive than simply
saying "hey there are other options." It's more "there is no place for this
ecosystem and you're broken if you play in it."

For example just from this post alone:

These people have "delusions of grandeur" and "congitive dissonance" are
making an "existential cry for help."

~~~
toomuchtodo
“The amount of energy necessary to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude
bigger than to produce it.”

------
gouggoug
This reminded me of a newsletter I received from angelList once which title
read: "Startups are here to save the world" [0]

I un-subscribed.

[0] [https://angel.co/newsletters/startups-are-here-to-save-
the-w...](https://angel.co/newsletters/startups-are-here-to-save-the-
world-102317)

------
rileyphone
The takeaway here is that our efforts aren't meaningless, just that they won't
be noticed in the context of "the world". Progress on the grand scale isn't
necessarily brought about by giants; their contributions, while having weight,
are dubious in value. Focus is the most valuable thing, as some of the
greatest influences in the average individuals life come from a source shared
by few others (in the grand scale), whether it be a religious congregation, a
nice barbeque joint, or this very forum.

~~~
AstralStorm
Most important progress recently came from giant corporations promoting a
thing. That thing was electricity, with electric lighting at the forefront.
Second example was IBM and computing. (earlier than you probably think...)
Next Intel and its manufacturing.

Xerox was the corporation behind fast printing. Sony behind most of portable
music and video recording...

The Internet is the main counterexample. The otger counterexamples almost
always used the effects of scale created by the previous giants. (Apple,
Microsoft, Google or Facebook - using both reduced price internet, computer
hardware and hole after dotcom boom.)

------
wruza
The same way I often can’t get what company’s product really does, since its
frontpage is full of [img] we work hard for you, [img] we are into the future,
[img] enable amazing experience, [img] stay in touch with more marketing
bullshit. Close tab, next search result. Oh, ${utilnamefrom1990s}, this is
what I’m looking for.

------
neya
Do you know who's the perfect example for the post? These guys:

>“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work
together effortlessly.“

Underline:

>help humanity thrive

Let that sink in. This post has long been coming. Someone had to write this.

On an unrelated note, If you start your own company, please, PLEASE don't
write BS for your mission statements, vision, etc. They're supposed to mean
something. It will otherwise contribute to a lot of negative things, including
trust issues and poor employee morale. Write something you truly believe in.

~~~
AndrewKemendo
What exactly is the problem with Asana having that as a mission statement?

I'm not arguing that it's good or bad, but I don't quite see how it
"contribute[s] to a lot of negative things, including trust issues and poor
employee morale"

I think the argument you're making is that the Asana statement was written
cynically and they don't really believe that. I think it's impossible to truly
know, but I know a lot of founders who really do believe in their mission
statements.

~~~
neya
What I mean is, that mission statement is going to be hanging around in their
company somewhere. Every time an employee looks at that, he's going to think
"Am I really helping humanity thrive with my little python script I write here
daily? No." I know I and many others like me would think so.

Contrast this with someone like Sony.

> "At Sony, our mission is to be a company that inspires and fulfills your
> curiosity. ground-breaking new excitement and entertainment in ways that
> only Sony can. Everything we do, is to move you emotionally."

The products they release resonate with their mission statements.

Have you used Asana? I recommend you give it a try, once you try it, you'll
realize how exaggerated their mission statement is. This thread is a good
read:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16271279)

~~~
pspeter3
What do you think their mission statement should be? Do you also think it
really affects day to day work

