From a systematic standpoint, I think that capitalism is the best system. I can spend a lot of time explaining why I like communism, but it is actually not a good solution. Nor is socialism. So, capitalism is the right model. Ben Horowitz capitalismcommunismexplain share on social
John D. Rockefeller said that he found friendships based on business to be far more long lasting and profitable than the reverse. I think there's something to that. A company can end up being very Confucian, where the good of the individual is subjugated to the good of the whole. Ben Horowitz basebusinesscompany share on social
Every time you make the hard, correct decision you become a bit more courageous, and every time you make the easy, wrong decision you become a bit more cowardly. If you are CEO, these choices will lead to a courageous or cowardly company. Ben Horowitz biteceochoice share on social
You read these management books that say, 'These are the hard things about running a company.' But those aren't really the hard things. The hard things are when you have to layoff half your company, or you have to fire your best friend. Or you have to figure out a way not to go bankrupt. Ben Horowitz bankruptbookcompany share on social
In all the difficult decisions that I made through the course of running Loudcloud and Opsware, I never once felt brave. In fact, I often felt scared to death. I never lost those feelings, but after much practice, I learned to ignore them. That learning process might also be called the courage development process. Ben Horowitz bravecallcourage share on social
When you found a company, you have the original vision, you make all the original decisions, you know every employee, you kind of know every aspect of the product architecture and its limitations. Ben Horowitz architectureaspectcompany Change image and share on social
Groupon looked like a very high valuation, but any investment in a great company at any stage is almost always a good investment. Ben Horowitz companygoodgreat Change image and share on social
Every employee in a company depends on the C.E.O. to make fast, high-quality decisions. Ben Horowitz companydecisiondepend Change image and share on social
If I'm in my position at a company, I may not have the knowledge of the C.E.O., I may not know what's possible, or I may not have the creativity, but if I can identify a problem, that's a valuable thing. Ben Horowitz companycreativityidentify share on social
A good engineering interview will include some set of difficult problems to solve. It might even require that the candidate write a short program. In addition, it will test the candidate's knowledge of the tools she uses in great depth. Ben Horowitz additioncandidatedepth share on social