I’ve already shared an extract from this episode about systems thinking here, but the whole interview is fascinating and everyone I’ve recommended it to has thanked me for it.
Marc Andressen more-or-less invented the web-browser as we know it and made Netscape (the biggest internet browser of its day, which was sold for a profit), which seeded the development of Mozilla Firefox, which you might be using right now. These days he’s a really influential venture capitalist, a quick (and very smart) thinker and fast talker.
This interview is full of useful and interesting gems, and Brian Koppelman does a great job of pulling out some interesting applications to art and pop culture. Apart from systems thinking, highlights (to be unpacked in future) include:
- The importance of networks and scenes (‘scenius’) in fostering and spreading innovation
- How to make your way, taking as a given that many things of life are unfair or wrong
- The relative value of ideas versus work
- Marketing, sales, and how to get your ideas in front of people
- The Test – the ability to get a ‘warm referral’ to investors or key players not as cronyism but as an excellent test of the qualities needed to be a successful entrepreneur
Highly recommend.
You can listen to the episode here, download it here or read the transcript here.