(2019-07-11) Perell The Paradox Of Ambition

David Perell: The Paradox of Ambition. It’s positive-sum. We can both have more ambition.

Ambition is a non-rivalrous good.

The wilder your target, the easier it is to find your place in the Valley. The motto is simple: If you want to thrive in Silicon Valley, raise your ambitions.

Ambition is a paradox. We’re taught that hard goals are hard and easy goals are easy. In entrepreneurial environments, the inverse is true. Paradoxically, hard goals can be easier to accomplish. (Because they draw followers/partners/movement from the shared vision.)

Of all the companies in Silicon Valley, Stripe has raised the status of ambition the most. The ambition flows from the top. I once read that Stripe CEO Patrick Collision ends every meeting by asking two questions:
Is this the most ambitious plan you could come up with?
What would you propose if you had unlimited resources?