Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO Social Capital, on Money as an Instrument of Change
17 Nov 2023 (12 months ago)
- The speaker talks about being open about being a generous tipper because it gives permission for others to be honest.
- Growing up in a dysfunctional household on welfare made the speaker question the importance of money.
- Money is seen as something that can be used to empower oneself and do the things they want.
- The speaker enjoys tipping generously at restaurants and seeing the transformation it brings to the workers.
- They find joy in anonymously giving generous tips and see it as a gift they have the ability to give.
Chamaths upbringing (3m20s)
- The speaker's parents craved money because they needed it since the speaker's dad was unemployed and their mom was the sole breadwinner.
- The speaker used to work at Burger King to help support their family, and initially felt ashamed about it.
- They eventually accepted their situation and stopped feeling ashamed.
- The speaker later got a job at a telecommunications startup in Ottawa where they learned from the business's billionaire owner, Terry Matthews.
- Terry Matthews viewed money as an instrument of change and was dynamic in his businesses and views.
- The speaker also learned from another billionaire, Michael Copeland, who manifested money differently.
- The speaker aspires to be like Terry Matthews and wants to use money as a means to do cool things in the world.
- They emphasize the importance of observing and copying high-functioning people.
Money as an instrument of change (9m53s)
- The speaker believes that about 150 people run the world and control important assets and money flows.
- They want to break through and be at the table with those who control the world.
- By proving that they can do what the current powerful individuals do, but better, the speaker believes they can open the door for others to do the same.
- Their goal is to aggregate enough capital to allocate it based on their worldview.
- They emphasize that there are many other powerful individuals with their own worldview who don't care about what others think.
- The speaker believes that anyone can strive for power and influence, including themselves.
Social Capitals 50year goals (11m58s)
- Chamath Palihapitiya's ambition for Social Capital is to employ at least ten million people, positively affect a quarter of the world's population, and make about a trillion dollars by 2045.
- Building businesses that can achieve these goals requires a technological approach and thinking about long-term sustainability.
- The success of these goals depends on patience, resolve, and intellectual perseverance.
- Building businesses for lasting impact requires doubling down when things get hard and taking a long-term perspective.
Fail fast and learn mentality (17m55s)
- The fail fast and learn mentality works for consumer internet businesses that are focused on exploiting psychology and gaining quick user adoption.
- However, it does not work for solving important issues such as diabetes, cancer, or education.
- Solving big problems requires a methodical and patient approach.
- The real value and gains will come from tackling difficult problems that have not received much attention, rather than investing in superficial and short-term endeavors.
- Chamath Palihapitiya expresses guilt and believes that the tools created by social media are tearing apart the social fabric of society.
- The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops in social media are destroying civil discourse, cooperation, and promoting misinformation.
- Palihapitiya encourages future leaders to recognize the importance of this issue and to consider stepping away from these tools.
- He personally does not use social media and highlights instances where social media platforms have been used to manipulate people and cause harm.
Taking personal responsibility (25m29s)
- Personal responsibility includes taking control over capital and using it for structural changes that can be controlled.
- Avoid being programmed by being aware of how behaviors are influenced.
- Focus on areas such as diabetes, education, and climate change.
- Soul searching is necessary to determine what one is willing to do and give up.
- The most educated and intelligent individuals are often the most susceptible to being manipulated.
- Intellectual independence should be preserved and not compromised.
- Get the money and then use it to create new rules and make a difference.
- Money is a driving force in the world and economic incentives influence behavior.
- Those with capital and a point of view should push their worldview.
- Diversity of views leads to a more balanced and fair system.
- Having a unique worldview is irrelevant without capital, but powerful with it.
- Capitalism is not just an economic system but also a philosophy that encourages voting for change based on views.
- Look at successful people like the Koch brothers who have propagated their worldview through capital and influence.
- There is a need for a counterweight to opposing views in order to have a more balanced representation in the world.
- Get the money without losing one's moral compass.
Venture Capital (31m7s)
- Venture capital is seen as a poor allocator of capital and tends to be risk-averse.
- Venture capitalists prioritize protecting their own interests rather than driving progressive change.
- To improve the allocation of capital, a more systematic and data-driven approach is needed.
- VCs should remove biases and be open to global opportunities instead of having strict rules or limitations.
I want the money (39m36s)
- The speaker acknowledges that his pursuit of money and influence motivates his actions.
- He wants to win and will play the game to achieve his goals.
- He recognizes that others may not share the same level of passion and may prioritize financial returns.
How do you keep that power (40m40s)
- The speaker admits to becoming isolated due to his focus on his own ambitions.
- He is unsure how to prevent his power from corrupting him but wants to stay true to his values.
- Staying grounded and remembering his humble beginnings helps him maintain his integrity.
What's your plan to run this public fund?
- The speaker wants to reshape the psychology of society and bring liquidity into companies sooner.
- Bringing liquidity sooner allows companies to bake longer and more patiently.
- The goal is to incentivize employees to stay at a company for a longer period of time.
- Liquidity can help solve the problem of high attrition rates in Silicon Valley companies.
How do you make tough decisions?
- The speaker acknowledges that decision-making is a challenge for their organization.
- They regret making purely monetary decisions without considering the rate of return.
- It is difficult to strike a balance between mission-driven decisions and purely monetary decisions.
- The speaker doesn't have a clear answer for when to keep going and when to give up.
Do MBA students have a disadvantage in getting capital?
- The speaker previously expressed a bias against MBA students in getting capital for entrepreneurship.
- They now believe that it doesn't necessarily matter if you have an MBA or not.
- There are ways to determine value and success that are independent of traditional signals.
- Changing your mind and being open to new perspectives is powerful in business.