SWLW #569: The Techno-Optimist Manifesto, How hard should I push myself, and more

As war continues in Israel (where I'm based), I continue praying for our loved ones and for better days. For those of you, like me, who find comfort in reading, I share my best findings for the week. May we all find the strength to make the world better even when we see hell.

 

This Week's Favorite

The Techno-Optimist Manifesto
11 minutes read.

Marc Andreessen's optimism is contagious: "Material abundance from markets and technology opens the space for religion, for politics, and for choices of how to live, socially and individually. We believe technology is liberatory. Liberatory of human potential. Liberatory of the human soul, the human spirit. Expanding what it can mean to be free, to be fulfilled, to be alive. We believe technology opens the space of what it can mean to be human.". Note the people ("Patron Saints of Techno-Optimism") he points to at the end. Changing the information diet we have will often shift the way we look and think of the world.

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Culture

Founders Doing Customer Support Are the Best
1 minute read.

My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face.

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Superlinear Returns
9 minutes read.

"You can't understand the world without understanding the concept of superlinear returns. And if you're ambitious you definitely should, because this will be the wave you surf on." -- Great essay from Paul Graham to understand compounding effects on learning and executing well, or as Paul puts it: "There are many variables that affect how good your work is, and if you want to be an outlier you need to get nearly all of them right. For example, to do something exceptionally well, you have to be interested in it. Mere diligence is not enough. So in a world with superlinear returns, it's even more valuable to know what you're interested in, and to find ways to work on it. It will also be important to choose work that suits your circumstances. For example, if there's a kind of work that inherently requires a huge expenditure of time and energy, it will be increasingly valuable to do it when you're young and don't yet have children."

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This Is What Having a Purpose Looks and Sounds Like (Video)
2 minutes read.

Steve Irwin's passion and energy is how you move the world forward. Entrepreneurship looks different in different domains and by other people, but this abundance of motivation and optimism to see what is possible (almost unavoidable) makes an impact.

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How to Grow as an Engineering Manager: Skills-Opportunity Paradox & Archetypes
8 minutes read.

"After observing and interviewing engineering leaders around me as well as applying my own experiences, I came up with a set of six growth patterns or archetypes that you can follow to create new opportunities for yourself. The choice(s) of archetype you'd want to apply depends on your current strengths, and gaps in your organization." -- Note what Srivatsan Sridharan did here. Interviewing people, trying to find patterns, creating a language around it (i.e. the archetypes chosen), and understanding how to leverage our unique skills while adjusting them to what the company needs (mutual fit).

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Peopleware

How Hard Should I Push Myself?
5 minutes read.

Dan Shipper's review of "Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers" is a great way to understand how to leverage stress as a tool and have a list of solutions available to you to deal with the stress: increasing sense of control, increasing sense of predictability and increasing social support.

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When I Tell People I Sold My Business, They Always Ask Me the Same Question. How Does It Feel?
5 minutes read.

"How isn’t he fulfilled & how is he lost? It's a very fair question and honestly one I feel nervous to talk about publicly out of fear about complaining about a highly privileged problem. But it's a problem nonetheless and one that I know a lot of high achievers experience in their lifetime. So, what's my answer to their question? It's simple. Identity is a prerequisite for happiness. Personal accomplishment does not equate to fulfillment. And you can’t truly feel settled in your direction unless you understand your purpose." -- Alex Lieberman with a personal post that I respect for sharing. Financial outcomes don't yield a lifetime of happiness. Seeking for your uniqueness and purpose (e.g. understanding your Zone of Genius) can help set the direction. Gratitude and hard work enable us to walk the path.

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What I Learned Bootstrapping 3 Companies to $450k
4 minutes read.

Maddie Wang's takeaway resonated with me so hard as I've experienced it and still remember the pain: "I’ve since learned that, if the idea is good enough, people are willing to pay upfront to try it. If they aren’t willing, the offering isn’t good enough. That’s the cold hard truth. You can set up as many free trials as you want. You can build for years and years. But no amount of building/hiding in your parent's room will get you the answer you need. Because at the end of the day, if people won’t pay for what you’re building, you’re screwed. Better know day 1, than day 1000."

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And finally, inspiring tweets...

@farbood: "Tetris teaches you that if you fit in, you disappear" - Tobi Lutke CEO of Shopify

@dharmesh: The secret that underlies most successful entrepreneurs: The ability to switch back and forth between the creative mind and the constant grind. Again, and again, and again.



p.s. if you're interested in joining SWLW's Slack channel, simply reply to this email and let me know. If you're leading a team, consider writing your Manager README (it's free) or getting my e-book and interviews Leading Snowflakes: The New Engineering Manager's Handbook. You can also support me by becoming a SWLW Patron. Thank you ❤️




Keep reading, keep learning.
-- Oren Ellenbogen.