Charisse Joy Melegrito

If you want to be a historian, go into finance. If you want to write the future, go to a startup. Financiers study the ideas that already exist and pick the profitable ones. They study how things have been done already, and cap their imagination. Startups invent the future.

Company-building is more about tactics than strategy. Strategy seems easier to apply because it simplifies complex dynamics. But, tactics are more predictive for success than strategy. Being great at recruiting and building product usually overcomes even the worst strategy.

The secret to great writing is clear thinking. There aren't many other secrets.

There's nothing quite like the magic of a small team, perfectly aligned in accomplishing the slightly impossible. It is electrifying, inspiring, and surprising every time. Don't take this magic for granted if you're on such a team today. It is very rare—most never experience it

Super interesting cognitive bias from Kanneman's work: When all the options are good, people are risk-averse. When all the options are bad, people are **risk-seeking**. It's when people are backed into tough situations that so much value ends up being created (pivots, etc.)

It took 22yrs for RenTech (best hedge fund ever) to go from founding to massive success In those 22yrs, many left, thinking it was "one of many" There always will be ppl who don't believe it is special The only way to disprove them is long time horizons and dogged persistence

At the @scale_AI holiday party, I wanted the team to remember 3 things to close the year: 1. Determination breeds determinism. 2. Companies are more about the people than just about anything else. 3. The journey is the reward. Happy New Year!