Skip to content
By using Twitter’s services you agree to our Cookies Use. We and our partners operate globally and use cookies, including for analytics, personalisation, and ads.
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • About

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

Tweets

Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

Conversational account. For work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian. IKEA builder.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

Tweets

  • © 2020 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      The older you are the less time you have The less time you have the smaller your largest future project The smaller your largest future project the less you must know The less you must know the fewer the details that can trip you up So you can pay less attention as you age!

      7 replies 16 retweets 111 likes
      Show this thread
    2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      This is why people gradually check out as they age. It is very rare for someone’s life to have increasing significance with age past a point. There really is a “hill” that you will be over eventually unless external factors make you increasingly significant with age like RBG

      1 reply 1 retweet 19 likes
      Show this thread
    3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      For most people your significance is entirely a function of a) your talents b) the magnitude of your realistic ambitions. Unlike scotus justices or founders of increasingly valuable companies like Steve Jobs, few of us have lives of naturally increasing structural significance.

      4 replies 0 retweets 26 likes
      Show this thread
    4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Your talents decline, your time shortens, your structural significance stays largely constant. This is the typical outcome, so no wonder people start checking out more with age. At best you can add a bit of leverage by working through others, and sacrifice precision of ambitions.

      4 replies 0 retweets 20 likes
      Show this thread
    5. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Writing is more precise but less leveraged than editing. As an editor you might help shape 10x as many words but with 1/10th the precision. Like John W. Campbell vs Asimov, Heinlein etc.

      2 replies 0 retweets 10 likes
      Show this thread
    6. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 19
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Being a founder is more precise but less leveraged than being a VC Being a lawyer is more precise but less leveraged than being a judge. Leverage is people leverage here. Until computers get way smarter, machine leverage is less relevant to life ambitions

      1 reply 0 retweets 15 likes
      Show this thread
    7. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 20
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      I’m fascinated by the science of mediocrity and the art of being ordinary. It’s weird that by definition most people are ordinary and mediocre but there’s no books about how to do it well. Only books about how to be exceptional. Which by definition can’t work for most readers.

      5 replies 15 retweets 82 likes
      Show this thread
      Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 20
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Yet being ordinary and mediocre isn’t merely an automatic backup/safety option that kicks in magically when you fail at being exceptional. That’s actually “failure” a whole different class of scripts. Ordinariness must be chosen and pursued according to its own logic.

      12:06 AM - 20 Sep 2020
      • 2 Retweets
      • 19 Likes
      • Mo Faux Pas Joe Hinton Pete Taylor M. A. T. S. Cyril Sam im only 5'3 Oleg Dreyman Idea Soup Sixelå!
      2 replies 2 retweets 19 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 20
          • Report Tweet
          • Report NetzDG Violation

          You can be bad at ordinariness and mediocrity though. Especially if you confuse it for a Plan B in relation to a Plan A to be extraordinary. It’s like trying to run a car on rocket fuel. Bad idea. Can’t run ordinariness on will-to-power thymos. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumos 

          1 reply 1 retweet 8 likes
          Show this thread
        3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 20
          • Report Tweet
          • Report NetzDG Violation

          I’m not sure what the right fuel for ordinariness is. Probably something like absurdity.

          6 replies 0 retweets 18 likes
          Show this thread
        4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Sep 20
          • Report Tweet
          • Report NetzDG Violation

          Everyone wants to be Holmes, but being Watson is not a failure to be Holmes. It’s its own, messier thing.

          4 replies 0 retweets 28 likes
          Show this thread
        5. End of conversation
        1. Dragos Ilinca - #Serverless‏ @dragosilinca Sep 20
          • Report Tweet
          • Report NetzDG Violation
          Replying to @vgr

          So what's an example of someone who does it well and someone who does it badly? What does the quintessential ordinary person look like?

          0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
          Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Undo
          Undo

      Loading seems to be taking a while.

      Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

        Promoted Tweet

        false

        • © 2020 Twitter
        • About
        • Help Center
        • Terms
        • Privacy policy
        • Imprint
        • Cookies
        • Ads info