Don MacAskill: Now is the time to build | Hacker News Reader

Don MacAskill: Now is the time to build

blogs.smugmug.com

33 pointsmattjaynes11 comments

I think the moral of this story is, "Don't listen to Arrington." I consider this possibly the most important advice ever, right behind "Don't light yourself on fire."

Yeah, though it's worth noting that Warren Buffet is NOT a startup CEO. Greed and risk mean something entirely different to a guy like him than someone who worries about being able to afford health insurance.

A valid point. However, I would take greed and risk over fear and surrender any day. Then again, I'm in the middle of a risky venture and I could care less. I have to try pretty hard to keep from making it any riskier. A one-way ticket to another country sounds really fun right now, and I have a laptop so it could work...

No! Bad Tom!

"Our philosophy is to not let anyone amazing get away, even if we don’t technically have an open position for you."

Reminds me of NFL teams who draft the best player available, regardless of position/needs on the team.

Sorcerer is the new Rockstar.

Crap. Guess I'll have to retire the ol' guitar and put on my robe and wizard hat.

Coding/magic parallels have been common for a long time. Rockstar is a blogger-era term and the primary purpose seems to be to inflate the egos of young programmers.

Don MacAskill & SmugMug is one of the great success stories. Don & his team have created a business completely on their own terms and it their own way and they are massively successful. If your not following his blog you should, I would take his advice over just about anyone else in the Silly Valley echo chamber.

Truer words have never been spoken. Now is the time for us to strike and create the next round of great businesses.

I love posts like these. SmugMug is a great story to follow, along with 37 signals (though i can disagree), and others. Warren Buffet's quote from the other day still sticks with me: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."

Interesting how they're not looking for barbarians, necromancers or thieves, isn't it?

I'd say now is a good time to hide yourself away, work like crazy then emerge into the sunlight when the storm clouds pass - as inevitably they must - with something amazing, shiny and new.

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