Dancing on chairs is fun and all, but I'd love to see the video of this interview..
I'm afraid there isn't one!
Readit Newscassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
Hey! :) What's the status on fondeadora?
Don't even know what that is!
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
How long did it take from you joining Kickstarter to you realizing that you guys had picked up this kind of traction?
It was relatively fast! I remember it being a matter of months -- six maybe?
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
Where do you see the future of crowdfunding, especially as crowdfunding spreads to outside of the western world?
Honestly, I think less about the future of crowdfunding, and more about the future of companies like Kickstarter (in context of their recent choice to become a public benefit corporation and other community-and-civic-minded choices they've made as a business). Setting that precedent, holding themselves accountable to their community, and enabling other communities to follow in their footsteps is VERY important, I think. That's what I'm thinking about lately.
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
Kickstarter was especially lucky to have you from the beginning. Because of the humble person you are you would never state this but I would attribute a decent amount of their success to your empathetic nature. Sustaining (note not growing) a community of creative makers is not about code and product, but of communication. Congrats on all your accomplishments and contributions. We need more people like you in tech!
Thank you so much! An exceedingly kind insight -- although, without any humility whatsoever, I have to insist that the success of Kickstarter was due to many factors and the work of many wonderful people (including the founders). :)
I enjoy the distinction you make between "sustaining" -- I like to say "nurturing" -- a community and growing one. It is important to think about that.
Thank you for reading!
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
I am particularly impressed with this interview. The level of self-awareness of cassie of her earlier self really helps the reader understand what it was like truly as a first employee of Kickstarter. I also really love how she managed explaining that although the founders are awesome, they were not perfect in a very balanced way. A lot of interviews I have read like this always tries to make the founders seem like people who have all the answers, but how she explains it, makes it feel like they were just any other company with a vision trying to figure shit out. Which is inspiring/encouraging.
Question: I get the feeling, Kickstarter feels like a different life for you now. Out of curiosity did your equity at Kickstarter completely vest before you left?
Thank you so much for the kind words! That's a very generous response and I appreciate you sharing.
Kickstarter does feel like a completely different life, but that's only because of how much I was able to grow while I was there. That's a good thing, I think!
My equity did not completely vest, no. Close, but no!
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
A friend linked just this comment to me, and as somebody amidst an existential crisis, this is such a great answer.
That emotional intuition - have you noticed or observed any ways in yourself, or in others, to really keep this sharp?
Glad to hear it was helpful!
Yes, definitely. You have to carve out time for yourself, very deliberately, and be conscious about minimizing the amount of stimulation and distractions you are letting in. Spend time alone, go for long walks with your phone off, let your mind wander. Devote mental time to the things that scare you and trouble you -- really, really lean into them. (Another friend once said to me: "Embrace the struggle." Also a helpful mantra.) Therapy, if it's an option, can be great self maintenance. So is daily meditation, even if just for ten minutes. (It helps you get into the habit of unplugging.)
The work of focusing on your "feelings" is interesting because, often, it's actually the opposite of "focus." It's more like letting yourself drift freely and, in doing so, mapping your interior sea. :)
(Not to get tooooo hippy BS about it. Ha.)
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
>Things still felt very new then, like Christmas. The excitement and freshness was like that.
> I had hit a ceiling in terms of what I was learning and I got bored, to be totally honest.
I wish more companies understood how common this is.
I also liked how you didn't investigate the idea of Kickstarter that much. I've heard other people say this too about good work they've done, that they fell into things. It makes me wonder if we're paying attention to the right signs before making decisions.
Which signs do you pay attention to now?
I've said this before and I will say it again. A long time ago, a friend gave me a piece of advice, re: making career choices: "Don't think about what you want to do, think about how you want to feel."
So much about making the "right choice" is about understanding and being responsive to your emotional intuition -- not a category of feeling that you often hear celebrated in (speaking frankly) bro-heavy tech spaces.
I still pay attention to how an opportunity makes me feel: excited? afraid? leery?
Then I work backwards to: Why? (Sometimes, being a little afraid can be a good sign, haha -- it means something will challenge you.)
And I pay close attention to the people I would be working for: how do they communicate? who do they respect? how do they picture the future?
I also think about my own end goals. What am I looking for? Do I just need a paycheck? (That happens sometimes.) Is there a specific skill I'm trying to master? Will a role be a stepping stone toward a bigger picture, long term goal?
It's a confluence of factors, and there's no science on how to balance them against each other. Again: that emotional intuition will guide you. (Keep it well honed.)
Oof, long answer. Does that help at all? Feel like I might have gone off deep into left field with this one. :)
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
This is the book Cassie & Craig recommend in the interview: https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Forgetting-Name-Thing-Sees/dp/... Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees: Expanded Edition
Do you know if there's a French version of this? For a gift. I couldn't find in my web search.
Not to my knowledge, but I wish. Sounds like a great gift.
cassiemarketos commented on Employee #1: Kickstarter – AMA and Interview blog.ycombinator.com/empl... · Posted by u/craigcannon
We're a crowdfunding/community/love thing too. We have a person who is you for our community team, and reading the interview was like reading that person's last 2 years. I sent it to our you.
That's wonderful. Thank you. :)