The Pmarca Guide to Startups, Part 5: The Moby Dick theory of big companies

http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the-pmarca-gu-3.html

by eposts • 19 years ago

10 3 19 years ago

blog.pmarca.com

brlewis• 19 years ago

Marc, you're definitely on a roll with these essays. One typo: quit pro quos should be quid pro quos.

Marc has replaced Paul and Joel as my favourite blogger. I still love P&J, but Marc's quality and almost daily output is tremendous.

To be fair Marc probably has years of ideas already built up, whereas P&J need to think of new material for each essay.

zach• 19 years ago

Also, I would add that, in a big company, you should try to work with people as high up as you can, even if you're intimidated.

People high up either say "yes" or hand you down to someone who can definitively say "no." If they say yes, the people below them are directed to make it happen.

People not high up enough either say "no" or hand you up to someone who can definitively say "yes." If they say no, the people above them never hear about it.

So clearly, dealing with people higher up improves your chances dramatically.

Brad Bird was the one who I first heard point this out: "Oftentimes the people at the top are really fun and the people on your way up are really fun, but there's something about a lot of middle managers -- people that don't have the power to say yes but do have the power to say no."

The Pmarca Guide to Startups, Part 5: The Moby Dick theory of big companies

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