Aurelia Han

I love people who've done unreasonable things to get unreasonable outcomes. And I don't really mean "worked hard" unreasonable because everyone works hard. I mean founders who are pathologically curious and execute relentlessly. They're also the ones who can admit when they're wrong faster than they can defend why they were right. They update their models when reality disagrees with them, and they do it with the kind of speed that makes competitors uncomfortable.

And talent is everything. I watch for founders who have the gravitational pull to attract exceptional people and the execution to keep them. Money can get people in the door, but the best founders attract the best talent because they can't imagine building this anywhere else or with anyone else. Vision creates the pull, but it's the velocity of shipping, the clarity of decisions, and relentless winning that builds a durable talent moat.

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Some of my favorite career advice I’ve ever received came from my first boss. He’s Brazilian and had the best Portuguese sayings. One of them is “Pisou na merda, abre os dedos" or "If you step in shit, you might as well spread your toes." Things will go wrong, and when they do, you have to own it and move forward.

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My brother is a novelist and English professor who's been extremely influential in my life. His book, Nights When Nothing Happened.