Amazing post, I really enjoyed the perspective explored here.
An extension that might be useful for me as an illiquid path enjoyer is what arbitrage or risk-reduction opportunities you see existing out there?
VCs can get by by doing a lot of smaller bets and if you want to be anti-fragile as an illiquid bet it becomes quite hard as you’re part of the cogs in the anti-fragile system. What Taleb says about that is that then these people should be praised because they dare to take on that risk. But there has to be some sort of system one could for example develop with peers and similar?
What is the many bets risk reduction strat here, is it just to make a bunch of smaller MVPs to gain info?
I would be very curious to hear your perspective on this.
Thank you! Do you mean risk reduction strategy as in—how do you as an employer mitigate the downside risk of hiring people with less legible credentials ?
Paying attention to social capital seems like one risk management mechanism. I try to ask—what sort of people is this likely to put me in tething alonouch with, and in what way? Will this increase the surface area of people to whom I can showcase my strengths and build relationships with ? I wrote something along these lines here (in the context of evaluating startups as an employee) - https://vaishnavsunil.substack.com/p/from-runway-to-career-capital-a-framework. Would be keen to hear what you think if you end up reading.
It does seem to verify what I was thinking with that you can’t really do the same bet strategy as VCs. I do really also appreciate the thoughts in there, they seem like things one should follow, I gotta make sure to do the last due dilligence part of talking to people that have worked with others in the past, it has always felt like a lot but you’re right in that one should do it.
Also, I’m considering why there isn’t some sort of bet pooling network for startup founders where you have like 20 people go together and say that they will all try out ambitious projects and support each other if they fail. It’s like startup insurance but from the perspective of people doing startups. Of course you have to trust the others there and stuff but I think this should work?
Amazing post, I really enjoyed the perspective explored here.
An extension that might be useful for me as an illiquid path enjoyer is what arbitrage or risk-reduction opportunities you see existing out there?
VCs can get by by doing a lot of smaller bets and if you want to be anti-fragile as an illiquid bet it becomes quite hard as you’re part of the cogs in the anti-fragile system. What Taleb says about that is that then these people should be praised because they dare to take on that risk. But there has to be some sort of system one could for example develop with peers and similar?
What is the many bets risk reduction strat here, is it just to make a bunch of smaller MVPs to gain info?
I would be very curious to hear your perspective on this.
Thank you! Do you mean risk reduction strategy as in—how do you as an employer mitigate the downside risk of hiring people with less legible credentials ?
No sorry, I meant from the perspective of the person with less legible skills.
Paying attention to social capital seems like one risk management mechanism. I try to ask—what sort of people is this likely to put me in tething alonouch with, and in what way? Will this increase the surface area of people to whom I can showcase my strengths and build relationships with ? I wrote something along these lines here (in the context of evaluating startups as an employee) - https://vaishnavsunil.substack.com/p/from-runway-to-career-capital-a-framework. Would be keen to hear what you think if you end up reading.
Yeah, that was what I was looking for, very nice.
It does seem to verify what I was thinking with that you can’t really do the same bet strategy as VCs. I do really also appreciate the thoughts in there, they seem like things one should follow, I gotta make sure to do the last due dilligence part of talking to people that have worked with others in the past, it has always felt like a lot but you’re right in that one should do it.
Also, I’m considering why there isn’t some sort of bet pooling network for startup founders where you have like 20 people go together and say that they will all try out ambitious projects and support each other if they fail. It’s like startup insurance but from the perspective of people doing startups. Of course you have to trust the others there and stuff but I think this should work?