Posted by Naga Samineni on Jan 4, 2024
I wake up every day in awe of the privilege we have. Building a company is rare. We get to take an idea, breathe life into it, put it into people's hands, and call something in this world our own. Most never get this opportunity. Billions of people wake up every day with brilliant ideas that never materialize because they lack the resources, connections, or circumstances we enjoy.
This privilege demands humility and responsibility from me, from you, from all of us. We are not entitled to investor capital. When investors choose us, they're investing someone's retirement fund, someone's college fund, someone's life savings in us, believing with every ounce of their being that we'll outperform Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and Google- established giants with proven track records. They're entrusting us with capital that could have gone anywhere else in the global economy. Their extraordinary faith demands our deepest respect and most disciplined stewardship.
I'm going to be honest. 90% of startups fail. The world is betting against us. Your friends, your family- they're supportive, but statistics say we will die.
What separates the successful 10% from the rest? Like cockroaches- which have not just survived but thrived through 300 million years through countless extinction events- it's not strength or beauty but ruthless efficiency and adaptability.
This leads me to a simple principle that will define our operations: If a dollar spent doesn't directly help earn or serve a customer, we don't spend it.
To thrive like cockroaches, we must be relentlessly resourceful with every dollar. Here's how we'll put our philosophy into practice:
When traveling:
For air travel, compare between at least two booking platforms (at minimum, Skiplagged and Google Travel with no filters) and pick the minimum viable route. Accept layovers up to 4 hours if it saves more than $50.
Essential customer-impacting upgrades (e.g. In-Flight WiFi) are allowed if your role requires it (e.g. On-Call Engineer), but you must document that you've selected the most economical solution that gets the job done.
A hotel is just a locked door, a bed, clean sheets, and WiFi- nothing more. Compare options between at least Airbnb and Booking.com and select the minimum viable option. You may choose a more comfortable option for personal reasons (e.g., traveling with family), but we'll only reimburse for the minimum viable option.