The message I get is that if you are a founder's friend, it's not your job to do the heavy criticism. He will get criticism all around the entire day anyway, you don't want to add into it.
But I bet there are reasonable exceptions everywhere. It's way too complex an issue to have such a simple answer.
> if you are a founder's friend, it's not your job to do the heavy criticism
What will your product do that Google doesn't and why can't (aren't) they do(ing) it isn't heavy criticism. It's reality checking.
The article posits questions asked in bad faith. ("You, for some reason, do not really believe in his idea. You, with some self-righteous zeal, also want to save your friend from some tragic failure.") The questions aren't the problem. The motivations of the person asking them are.
The takeaway isn't "don't ask founders existential questions." It's don't surround yourself with "friends" who don't believe in you, won't tell you that to your face and whose conversation consists of backhanded criticism.
marcosdumay|4 years ago
But I bet there are reasonable exceptions everywhere. It's way too complex an issue to have such a simple answer.
JumpCrisscross|4 years ago
What will your product do that Google doesn't and why can't (aren't) they do(ing) it isn't heavy criticism. It's reality checking.
The article posits questions asked in bad faith. ("You, for some reason, do not really believe in his idea. You, with some self-righteous zeal, also want to save your friend from some tragic failure.") The questions aren't the problem. The motivations of the person asking them are.
The takeaway isn't "don't ask founders existential questions." It's don't surround yourself with "friends" who don't believe in you, won't tell you that to your face and whose conversation consists of backhanded criticism.