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Balaji Srinivasan's Brutal Hiring Truth

By Balaji Srinivasan · Leadership · 2 min read

Balaji says if you're not ideologically motivated, don't start a company. It's too economically irrational to do it for the money.

Key Points

Startup founders need to be ideologically motivated, not financially motivated
A startup is so economically irrational at times that you need a cause greater than yourself
You can't incentivize or mass-produce ideological motivation
Larry Page says 10x is sometimes easier than 10%

A startup is so hard and so economically irrational to persist with at certain times, you need to have a cause greater than yourself that you believe in.

You Need a Cause Greater Than Yourself

Balaji Srinivasan doesn't sugarcoat it. Starting a company for the money is a losing bet.

Srinivasan: "One should be a startup founder if you are fundamentally ideologically motivated. And that's not something I'm so sure can be easy to incentivize or train people to do."

Srinivasan: "A startup is so hard, and it's so economically irrational to persist with it at certain times, you need to have a cause greater than yourself that you believe in, that you're working on. I'm not sure that it's easy to incentivize or mass-produce that."

A startup is so hard, and it's so economically irrational to persist with it at certain times, you need to have a cause greater than yourself that you believe in.

Financial Motivation Is Fine. Just Don't Start a Company.

Srinivasan: "It is useful to ask yourself if you are ideologically motivated. And you'll know that on your own. Many people are not, and they're financially motivated. That's completely fine."

No judgment from Balaji. But he's clear: if you're in it for the money, there are better ways to make money than grinding through a startup.

Many people are not ideologically motivated, and they're financially motivated. That's completely fine.

10x Is Easier Than 10%

Srinivasan: "If you're ideologically motivated, then what is the single most effective thing you can do to achieve that goal? Larry Page has a different way of putting this. He says 10x is easier than 10% sometimes. It might actually be easier to do something paradigmatically different and better than it is to improve an existing system by 10%."

That's the question Balaji wants every founder to sit with. Not 'can I make this a little better?' but 'what's the most effective thing I can do for the cause I believe in?'

Larry Page says 10x is easier than 10% sometimes. It might be easier to do something paradigmatically different than to improve an existing system by 10%.