Governments take too long to get things done and there are far too many varied interests at stake. If you were starting a business today and needed a partner, you would never choose a large bureaucratic institution like the government.
In the business world today, failure is apparently not an option. We need to change this attitude toward failure – and celebrate the idea that only by falling on our collective business faces do we learn enough to succeed down the road.
I may have managed to build a successful technology startup that had gone public by the time my three kids hit their 13th birthdays, but don’t think that bought my wife and me any special respect from our teenagers.
Don’t let expertise fool you into seeing false boundaries or underestimating those with wild dreams.
Being a father has been, without a doubt, my greatest source of achievement, pride and inspiration. Fatherhood has taught me about unconditional love, reinforced the importance of giving back and taught me how to be a better person.
Successful entrepreneurs find the balance between listening to their inner voice and staying persistent in driving for success – because sometimes success is waiting right across from the transitional bump that’s disguised as failure.
Sometimes we never see what failure is and often fail to recognize it.
In my view, the first requirement for success for an entrepreneur is to dream big. The second aspect that prevents entrepreneurs from succeeding is fear of failure.
When you experience a failure as a leader, don’t hide it – talk about it. Your missed opportunity will encourage others to take risks.
Call it the Tiger Mom effect: In the business world today, failure is apparently not an option.
My parents didn’t believe in luck. They believed in hard work and in preparing me to take advantage of opportunity. Like many parents, they taught me to be generous but never to depend on the generosity of others.
There is no longer a doubt that women are just as competent as men. Gender differences are guided by nurture, as society treats boys and girls differently from an early age.
Humans have always used our intelligence and creativity to improve our existence. After all, we invented the wheel, discovered how to make fire, invented the printing press and found a vaccine for polio.
Education should not be about building more schools and maintaining a system that dates back to the Industrial Revolution. We can achieve so much more, at unmatched scale with software and interactive learning.
I understand human needs. I grew up where far too many people lived day to day without elemental needs like food and shelter.
I think it’s time we all agree that gender stereotypes are simply the confabulation of our own mind.
Growing up in India, I knew all I needed to change the world was one good opportunity, and I prepared myself for it. When that opportunity came – in the form of the chance to earn an engineering degree – I was ready.
The digital revolution has also meant a revolution in access to information. This puts more power and knowledge into the hands of nonexperts.
Success doesn’t necessarily come from breakthrough innovation but from flawless execution. A great strategy alone won’t win a game or a battle the win comes from basic blocking and tackling.
The real metric of success isn’t the size of your bank account. It’s the number of lives in whom you might be able to make a positive difference.
Helping people boost themselves out of poverty is the best way to make a lasting positive difference in a person’s life.
Technology itself is neither good nor bad. People are good or bad.
We begin to change the world when we stimulate long-term prosperity using technology. There is not a problem that’s large enough that innovation and entrepreneurship can’t solve.
You know you’ve reached true success the day you become truly humble. That’s the day you stop needing to prove to the world – and yourself – that you’ve accomplished something meaningful.
The goal must be to expand ourselves beyond one field of focus and use our improved access to information to solve the very real and extreme economic, environmental, and resource challenges we face as an interconnected, global society.