Author: CK

A highly successful former executive told me at a recent dinner: “I used to be somebody when I was running my company. But after I left, I felt like I was nobody.” He initially enjoyed the anonymity of blending into the crowd. But soon, that feeling shifted to anxiety — what if he stayed a … Continue reading Feeling Like Somebody Again

For this election, immigration should be one of the most important topics. America was built by immigrants. Four out of the seven CEOs of the so-called Magnificent Seven companies (the top tech companies in the US and the world) are immigrants. As a naturalized American citizen, immigration is a topic I personally care deeply about. … Continue reading Immigration Policies

“CK, you’re cool, calm, and collected,” said a VC after my pitch some years ago, early in my previous company. At the time, I took that as a compliment — though, in hindsight, it probably wasn’t 🙂 I think what he really meant was that I didn’t show as much charisma as he expected from … Continue reading Confidence and Charisma

A founder innovating in the healthcare device industry today said: “Our biggest competitors are Company A and Company B, but that’s within an existing market. Most people who have trouble with X just don’t do anything.” Sometimes the biggest competitor can be non-users, i.e. people who aren’t doing anything right now. If you can somehow … Continue reading Non-users: The Biggest Competitor

I recently had a chat with someone who had just left a VC position to join an early stage startup as an operator. I asked her why she made the move — after all, isn’t VC a great lifestyle job? Plus, she was killing it as a VC. She said, “I felt like I was … Continue reading Deposits To Our Knowledge and Emotional Bank Accounts

Founders are creators. It’s their identity. Founders aren’t really engineers, product managers, or marketers. They often don’t have specific skills. That’s why many founders find it difficult to fit into traditional job roles. Instead, founders develop a unique vision and foresee a future that others might not yet see. Great founders can articulate this vision … Continue reading Founders Are Creators

One of my friends recently said that becoming a new parent made him more productive. “How’s that even possible?” I asked. He said two things: Maybe the same principles could be applied to companies? Continue reading Parenting and Productivity

I’ve never worked with Susan Wojcicki directly on any project, but one time I was on the same bus with her. This was during Google’s MTV (Mountain View office) ski trip a long time ago. She was on the same bus, and as the trip went on, she came to the back of the bus … Continue reading Susan Wojcicki