硅谷超级天使Chris Sacca:不退缩，要勇往直前
Chris Sacca 凭借他早期投资 Uber、Twitter、Instagram 和 Kickstarter 的经验，在投资界享有盛名。他也是 Lowercase Capital 的创始人，在他成为投资人之前，他曾在 Google 任职，他帮助 Google 买下了价值十多亿美元的数据中心。
本文是从他的一次视频中精简而成。
你如何才能交到真正优秀的朋友？
Chris Sacca 认为真正的行动者是那些能够让想法变成现实的人，他们并没有多难找，他们只是和其他人不太相同。当 Twitter 和 Square 的创始人 Jack Dorsey，Blogger 及 Twitter 的联合创始人 Ev Williams，Uber 的首席执行官 Travis Kalanick、Slack 的创始人 Stewart Butterfield 谈论到他们的公司时，可以发现他们很清楚自己的公司将会带来巨大的影响力。
识别别人的才能只是第一步，但如果想要结交这些有才能的人，你需要成为他们那个圈子的人。当他第一次与 Instagram 联合创始人 Kevin Systrom 见面的时候，他就在其身上发现了独特的才能。
创业者们通常犯的第一个错误是什么？
Chris 表示不是每一个人都能成为创始人，但成为创始人这件事却充满了诱惑力。我们现在所处的时代，创业是一件非常有吸引力和时尚的事，但是人们受到的仅仅是这种想法的吸引，而并非是在理解了成为一个创始人需要面临如何残酷的现实压力之后仍愿意迎难而上。
Chris Sacca：“理论上，每一个人都能成为创始人，但并不是每一个人都能拥有一颗强大的内心去创建一个公司。”
那么当你成为创始人的时候，你如何判断自己能够做成这件事？
你一定会觉得自己的能力有限，你也没法劝自己否认这个认知。Chris 认为，这个认知源于内心深处，没有人会去质疑，也没有人会把时间浪费在自己根本无力做到的事情上。
相反，如果你发现自己表示出 “我只是想要去创建一些东西” 的想法，根据这个想法考虑了很久并且想找其他人来验证这个想法是否可行。作为一个创始人，你还没意识到自己应该放弃这件事。
在科技领域，哪些人最令人尊重但往往却被人低估？
投资人代表人物：Bill Gurley（Benchmark Capital 高级合伙人、Uber 董事会成员）
Chris 表示很幸运能够和他一起在董事会共事。在整个会议上，Gurley 说的话绝不会超过 30 个词。他是一个超级棒的聆听者。Chris 认为我们所有人都能从他身上学到很多东西。
运营方代表人物：Adam Bain（Twitter 新晋 COO）
Chris 想人们仍然不太了解 Adam Bain 在 Twitter 的工作能力有多出色。他和 Gurley 一样，为人非常低调。如果他想，他可以成为一家大公司的 COO。但他选择留在这个他一手建立的团队里，和另一个非常棒的创始人 Jack Dorsey 一起合作。
同时 Chris 也跟大家分享了分享一些 Larry 以及 Sergey 的故事
Chris 在 Google 任职四年，在 Google 公开上市之前他就已经加入了这家公司。当时他接到的一项任务就是：在不告诉任何人公司发展速度有多快的情况下，用十多亿美元买下数据中心。Chris 还提到，在 Google 大家会在激烈的辩论中讲故事；此外，Google 还会通过其他一些细微的小事促进员工之间的沟通，比如说 Google 故意在餐厅放置了少于就餐人数的座位，这就迫使你与别人坐在一起吃饭，其目的是为了促进员工之间的沟通交流。
关于 Google 的联合创始人 Sergey Brin
Sergey 拥有让人难以置信的沟通能力。他为人风趣。他有时候还会表演独角喜剧，这也是 Chris 会认为他和著名喜剧演员 Robin Williams 能够成为好朋友的原因。Sergey 非常聪明，也是一个能力很强的销售人员。
Google 联合创始人 Larry Page
他真的可以看到未来。不过当他预知未来时，你会发现很难与他相处，这是因为他可以清晰的看到未来世界的发展方向，因此他无法不对周边事物持以轻蔑的心态，尽管他在努力消除这种心态。当你与 Larry 呆在一起的时候，如果你提出的想法太过狭隘或是用了现在时态，他就会毫不客气地嘲笑你。
是否有一些你过去坚信，但现在却觉得被误导了的事？
Chris 说到他过去非常认同谦逊是成功的关键，但当你和世界上最有才华的一群人一起工作的时候，这一点其实很难做到。他表示谦逊并非是人性的自然状态，而假装自己谦逊则是一件非常虚伪的事情。
当你和全世界最棒的程序员和开发商一起工作的时候，要求他们谦逊做事，这是一件很虚伪的事情。Chris 表示这些人都是成功的名人，他们同样也是懂得奉献的人。你可以用任何名词来形容他们，但你不能否认他们是独一无二的。如果因为自己获得成功却对他人怀有歉意，这更是一个虚伪的举动。
不过，当你在不擅长的领域假装自己很牛逼的时候，你可能会招惹到不小的麻烦。
Chris Sacca：“别为自己做成了世界上最棒的一件事而怀有歉意，但你要清楚知道未来发展的目的地在哪。” 他将这称之为人性中的 “生来勇敢”，事实上这也是他的做人准则。
Chris Sacca 在大学笔记本里的到底要有什么内容，竟然成了一辈子的预测？
Chris Sacca 在 Tim Ferriss 播客中提到过，大学时他曾在爱尔兰当交流生，当时有个关于笔记的小插曲：有一次他和同学传纸条，他们分别在纸条上写下与自己梦想工作相关的词汇，最终他将这些纸条拼在一起，而由这些纸条组成的工作就是他梦想的工作，但他连这个工作是否存在都不知道。
Chris Sacca 表示他并不了解这份工作，但他知道这份工作需要讲很多电话，进行很多谈判，也会遇见很多大喊大叫的人，以及很高的风险，但往往是高风险伴随着高回报。他知道他从哪里能得到他想要的，也许会有一半的时间在山上一半的时间在海滩上，但不管它是什么样，他都决定从 40 岁的时候开始要这么做。
几年前，Chris 和他的妻子在他们的车库中找到他的笔记本，但当看到笔记本里的内容时，他们震惊不已，因为他早已在笔记本中非常准确地描述了他现在做这些事的原因。
Chris Sacca 因为什么而变得众所周知？
在职业生涯早期， Chris 并没有展现最真实的自己。当他在 Google 任职的时候，他代表的是公司；当他大学毕业后进入华盛顿时，他不想因民主党身份而丧失一些潜在的雇主。现在他明白了，他以前从来没有不计后果地去选择一个自己喜欢的工作。
“去年美国总统奥巴马举行了当年度最大的募捐活动，但由于我是爱德华·斯诺登巨大的支持者，白宫并没有给我打电话。” Chris 说到。
同时，他表示 “这只是我想要努力成为最真实的人，如果我能继续从事自己喜欢的工作，同时能够激励到其他人，这也许就会为我们正在做的事带来前进的核心动力。”
Chris 认为要做会讲故事的人
Chris 认为讲故事是创业做事的基本内容，融资、招聘以及媒体宣传都依靠讲故事而生存。
要学会利用故事向媒体推销你自己和你的产品，向投资人、员工以及客户讲述你未来的愿景和发展规划。
有的创业者在描述其产品时更倾向于使用未来式的语言，这也是成功的创业者和失败的创业者最根本的区别。
Chris Sacca Doesn’t Hold Back
Chris Sacca is known for his early investments in Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Kickstarter, among many others, and is the founder of Lowercase Capital. Prior to his investing days, Chris was tasked with buying billions of dollars worth of data centers while at Google, without alerting anyone (Microsoft) as to how big the company would become. He’s one of the most successful startup investors and doesn’t hold back when sharing his advice or opinions — which is exactly what we got in this recent Product Hunt LIVE video chat.
He shares what it was like working with Larry & Sergey at Google, becoming a guest shark on Shark Tank, interviewing Edward Snowden, and asking President Obama the tough questions that no one else has dared to ask.
How do you surround yourself with talented people?
Chris says that the real movers, the people that make things actually happen, aren’t all that hard to find — they’re just different. When people like Jack Dorsey, Ev Williams, Travis Kalanick, and Stewart Butterfield, talk about their businesses there is just an air of inevitability—they know they’re working on something that’s bigger than the rest of us.
But identifying talent is just the first step. To surround yourself with those talented people, you have to become someone they want to be around. Watch Chris describe how to put yourself in that position, and what he saw in Kevin Systrom while meeting the Instagram co-founder for the first time.
What is the biggest mistake first time founders make?
Chris says not everybody is a founder, but that right now there’s a real allure to being one. We’re at a time where it’s very fashionable and attractive to start a company, but it’s the concept that people are drawn to rather than the tough reality of what being a founder is actually like.
“Everybody is capable of being a founder on paper, but not everybody has founding in their gut.” —Chris Sacca
So how do you evaluate if you have what it takes to be a founder?
It’s so obvious to you that you can’t imagine doing anything else. The idea just has to exist, and you’re not trying to convince yourself of that, or anyone. It comes from so deep down, Chris says, that there is no personal doubt that this is what you have to be spending your time on.
In contrast, if you find yourself saying “I just want to start something” and you’re shopping around for an idea and looking around for someone to validate that idea…as a founder, that’s just not going to cut it.
Who are the most respected and underrated people in tech?
On the investing side: Bill Gurley (Benchmark GP & Uber Board Member). Sacca says:
I wish there was an instructional video of Bill Gurley in board meetings. I’ve been lucky enough to serve on a board with him, and the guy doesn’t say thirty words all meeting, but when he does they’re pivotal, they’re inspirational, and they’re high impact. He’s just an incredible listener. I feel like all of us could learn from him, his insight is incredible, and a guy that’s doing it right that I admire. A very different style than mine, but I really admire his style.
On the operating side: adam bain (recently promoted Twitter COO).
I do think people still don’t understand how good Adam Bain is at Twitter. That is a guy who also (like Gurley) just lays completely low and gives all credit to the people around him. He is someone who could be a CEO of a huge company right now, and he’s chosen to build Twitter, to stay with the team he’s built there, and to work with @Jack who’s one of the best people in the world to work with. Keep an eye on Adam Bain — he accomplishes more (and does so with a smile) than anyone I’ve ever worked with.
On that note, can you tell us a little bit about Larry and Sergey?
Sacca spent four years working at Google and joined before the company went public. He was tasked with buying up data centers for over a billion dollars using secret code names as to not alert anyone to how quickly the company was growing at the time. Chris talked about telling stories of the intense debate culture of working at Google at the time, and even the little things, like intentionally having fewer seats than people at the cafeteria so you’d be forced to eat lunch next to someone.
On Google co-founder Sergey Brin:
Sergey is an incredible communicator. He’s very witty, I don’t know if it all comes across on stage because he holds back, but he’s legitimately funny. That guy could even do a little bit of stand up. That was one of the reasons I think he and Robin Williams became such close pals. Sergey is bright and he’s a good sales person, too, whom I learned from.
He just truly sees ahead. And it’s really hard to be around him when he’s in that mode sometimes because the future is so obvious to him that he has a hard time not being dismissive (although he works hard at it). The one reason you could get laughed out of the room with Larry is if you come with an idea that is too small or too present tense.
What’s something you used to fervently believe that you now see as misguided?
Sacca explains how he used to subscribe to the notion that being humble is the key, and that’s hard when you’re working alongside the most talented people in the world at something. He says that humility is just not a natural state for some people and it would be inauthentic to pretend.
When you’re working with some of the best coders and product people in the world, asking them to be humble is disingenuous. They’re rockstars, they’re ninjas, they’re whatever cliche term you want to use for it—but they’re special, says Sacca. And one of the things he realized is that it’s not authentic to be falsely humble, and it’s not authentic to apologize for being kickass at something.
Where that gets you into trouble, though, is when you feel like you have to pretend to be kickass at things that you’re not great at.
What was in Sacca’s college notebook that turned out to be the prediction of a lifetime?
There was an episode on the Tim Ferriss Podcast where Sacca mentioned a notebook from college while he was on an exchange program in Ireland. He was passing notes with a classmate and ended up spelling out his future dream job, for a job he didn’t even know existed at the time.
I don’t know what the job is called, but I know it’s gonna involve a lot of talking on the phone, a lot of negotiations, a lot of yelling at people, a lot of high stakes — high risk high reward — I’m gonna be able to do it from where ever I want, probably half time from the mountains half time from the beach, and whatever it is, I’m gonna be done doing it by the time I’m 40.
A few years ago Chris and his wife found the notebook in the garage — and their jaw dropped, as it spells out a pretty accurate description of what Chris does. Here’s the full story of how that came about:
What does Sacca want to be known for?
Earlier in his career, Chris wasn’t able to be his most authentic self. When he was at Google, he’d be speaking on behalf of the company; and when he graduated college in D.C. he didn’t want to alienate himself from half of the potential employers by coming out as a Democrat. Now he has the luxury of knowing that he never has to apply for another job, and with that, there’s a certain amount of freedom to speak (tweet🐥) up — although not without consequences.
“It’s about being one of Obama’s largest fundraisers last year, and yet, coming out as a huge supporter of Edward Snowden — and suddenly having the White House no longer return my phone calls.”
“It’s just about trying to be the most authentic person possible, and if I can hopefully keep working on that myself but inspire other people to be that way and maybe really bring that forward as a core value in what we all do — then I would be very proud.”
What was it like interviewing Edward Snowden?
The interview is set to be in November, this tweet was just the prep time. So instead, Sacca told the story of what it was like moderating a series of tech dinners with President Obama. In one of the earlier ones, he noticed that no one was asking the President any real questions, so without holding back — he brought up some of the most controversial issues of our time.
Sacca’s takeaways from that experience can be summed up as:
When the President speaks, do not interrupt.
What seems like an easy choice from the outside is often an impossible task, and the President has to deal with those choices every day on the job.
本文编译自：medium.com
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