Successful Founders Are Usually Crazy.

They all made billions. They all need therapists.

Image by Midjourney

TLDR;

• The Thin Line Between Innovation & “What The Hell?” — Neumann

• The Loud Screwing Up Inventor Of Our Time — Musk

• The Unbearable Genius — Jobs

• Growth No Matter What — Kalanick

• (For Paid Subscribers) The persona of a few highly successful founders I worked with.

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The Thin Line Between Innovation & “What The Hell?” — Adam Neumann

You know how they often say, “There’s a thin line…”

Adam Neumann, WeWork’s co-founder, didn’t accept the thin line between innovation and absurdity; he danced on it. 

Yet, somehow, His crazy vision boosted WeWork into a success, then eventually a demise.

During that time, his team members often wondered, "What the hell?”

I just wrapped up watching the Jared Leto depiction of him in WeCrashed. Keeping in mind that TV series are often dramatic and don’t depict the true entrepreneurial story, it’s fun to watch and has some facts.

Neumann was not your ordinary CEO. For that particular reason, he got funded with over $350 million in his new startup before it launched, making it an instant unicorn. It’ll be fun to watch whether this goes down the drain the same way WeWork did.

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The Loud Screwing Up Inventor Of Our Time — Elon Musk

If there’s a phrase to describe Musk, I’d say “No Rules.”

In his early days, he probably had to play by the rules to get investments and grow. Yet, when he became the world’s richest person, he transformed into his true nature.

He’s a one-of-a-kind genius inventor who boosted Tesla into one of the most valuable companies and created Space X out of nothing. Yet, he has no filters whatsoever.

This made him lose millions over the years and will probably go on. For instance, his tweet about “Funding secured” was a famous unnecessary move that affected the market. 

He got sued for it by multiple parties.

He’s our unfiltered, loud inventor who does what he wants whenever.

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The Unbearable Genius — Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, the maestro behind Apple's resurrection, was unique with a brilliance that often bordered on the unbearable. His relentless pursuit of perfection changed technology forever, but it came with a side of tyrannical leadership and personal quirks that often left those around him shocked and intimated by his genius.

He was a visionary. But not one that you’d like to work for.

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Growth No Matter What — Travis Kalanick

Travis Kalanick’s reign at Uber was defined by a singular mantra: growth at all costs. His aggressive strategies catapulted Uber into a global powerhouse but also into a whirlwind of controversies. Kalanick embodied the "move fast and break things" ethos, often blurring ethical lines in pursuit of expansion.

If Neumann danced around the thin line, Kalanick didn’t have one.

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The Crazy Ones: Visionaries or Madmen?

These founders are more than just creators of billion-dollar companies; they're walking embodiments of the fine line between genius and madness. Their stories teach us that sometimes, to change the world, you have to be a little crazy. 

They're a reminder that in the realm of extraordinary success, being ordinary is not an option.

“Here’s to the crazy ones.”

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(For Paid Subscribers) The persona of a few highly successful founders I worked with.

There isn’t a particular persona of a successful entrepreneur. The more you read, the more you’ll notice that. They’re all persistent, but they’re astronomically different.

I’ve been dealing with many entrepreneurs for over ten years. Some of those have raised over $120m. I’ve been noticing one or two things about how they work.