Bob Baxley

Every six months or so, can you back up and honestly ask yourself: am I proud of this? Is this representative of my best work given the circumstances? Or am I just trying to get through the day?

Slack and Pinterest are both examples of products that became companies without a bigger vision. Neither knew what to do next because they didn't have a larger vision for the change they were trying to see in the world.

People think falling off a high-level job is the common failure case. I'd argue it's the common use case. We have a survivorship bias — everyone that makes it to the top had hundreds who didn't. Falling is the norm, not the exception.

The camera you choose changes the photographer you become. An iPhone makes you think about sharing. A film camera makes you slow down and compose. A digital SLR makes you spray and pray. The tools we pick shape what we produce.

Tonight, you'll be at dinner with hundreds of thousands of people across the country. When that grandmother wants to pick up the bill and the waiter hands her the device — are you going to make her look like a superhero, or a fool? What are you going to do for grandma?