Failure Culture in Silicon Valley

Failing at anything in life isn't pleasant. Notice that the people that embrace failure are already successful. If you are a billionaire and publicly speaks about failure to others as a good thing, all you are doing here is feeding your ego. It’s an indirect route to remind people how successful you are.

I'd like to take a different approach. Having been in tech for over 10 years, I can attest that the Silicon Valley framework of failure is different.

The great Frank Chen summarized it well in this Tweetstorm, where he is talking about Eric Weiner's book, The Geography of Genius (note: I have not read it).

Failure, in Silicon Valley terms, is not failing at something. Failure is rapid iteration and adaptation. It is the peacefulness of knowing that in order to get it right you must be fearless about exposing yourself. You are a curious beast that seeks to improve daily. Failure is introspective. Nothing extraordinary comes without sacrifices.

Given how spoiled we have become (Netflix, Spotify, Rappi) — we think success comes easily, that it is natural and worse, that we deserve it.

I hate to break it to you but the world doesn't care. You are irrelevant. We all are.

Self-actualization is probably the only way to find peace.

As you are trying to do something in your life, work, personal relationships, etc — sacrifice. Do it for your benefit, not others. It is free to show up on time, be respectful and come prepared.

When you are on your journey remember that failure isn't great.

It is all about flow and rapid iteration.

I plan on dying more than 100,000 times during the course of this life.

Failure is evolution.