Sam Gerstenzang

Hi there, I’ve stopped updating this blog. New posts can be found my on Medium , or by subscribing via email.  Thanks for reading!

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/137410684148

Successful public investing doesn’t translate to successful startup investing. Intuitions and strategies that work well in the former simply don’t work in venture. As the private investment m...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/133724378038

I’m really excited to share that I’ll be joining Dan Doctoroff and Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs , and moving back to the greatest city in the world. Sidewalk is focused on the future of cities ...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/129724450218

Interviewing potential hires is the most important brand building exercise your company will go through and it’s conducted primarily by people whose primary day jobs are very different. This sh...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/129189239428

In Silicon Valley, it is valuable to make an introduction. I want to be seen as someone in the middle of things. I am valued by those in my network if I introduce them to interesting people. El...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/128778460398

This post was co-written with Jess Peterson . Uber, love it or hate it, is one of the most fun companies to watch in Silicon Valley. Semil Shah just launched a newsletter to cover everything U...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/128676079678

Below find three ideas for companies that I spent some time thinking about over the last few months. For various reasons, I didn’t end up starting any of them myself. But I’d love to hear fro...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/126947521828

Wagon kindly hosted me at their office as a faux-EIR for a few weeks, which means they gave me free internet, coffee, a desk and the chance to spend time around some smart humans. Here are a fe...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/125449417623

Coding bootcamps, summer sessions, online classes: everyone should learn to code, we’re told. It’s a tool of empowerment, but it’s also a solution to an industry challenge. We’ve got prog...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/125358754148

There are the folks who have zero code debt, are using all the best practices, and have airtight hiring processes. And then there are the folks running their entire businesses out of an overwor...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/125357394073

The most recent reddit rebellion has quieted down but it’s not the end. Online communities have a history of rebellion spanning over 30 years (my former employer, Imgur, had its own rebellion ...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/123399757693

It’s terribly difficult to manage unmotivated people. Make your job easier and don’t. Different people need different kinds of management. Be adaptable to figure out what drives each person�...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/121930040703

Every interface can be made simpler. One useful technique is to have a separate meeting focused just on cutting and simplifying. You can also appoint an individual ‘cutter’ to take this role...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/121701704798

I’ve recently been talking to a number of people about ideas for the future. I’ve been surprised by how strong an inclination there is to shy away from hard things, ie schlep blindness. A ...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/120694034718

I am very lucky to have had many people in my life who I’ve learned a great deal from. Here are a few things I’ve learned about how to learn from them: They don’t need to be called “mento...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/116859726783

In 1950, a classic MIT study examined the effect of proximity on friendship, using college dorms as the subject. Would young men who were randomly assigned to live physically closer to each other...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/115765369578

Here’s an idea that I want you to take and run with. Successful execution will make this country a better place. I want you to start a government contractor, based in San Francisco. You’ll ...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/115612131018

I left Andreessen Horowitz 5 months ago to join Imgur. Below are seven things I learned in venture that have been useful. The winners always have something that looks hugely wrong with them. Like...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/112671929918

There are two models of online education: Preparatory knowledge, in the form of course-based video-delivered teachings: Coursera, Udacity, Thinkful, etc. On demand knowledge: Wikipedia, StackOver...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/110452097098

Making self-driving cars for mass consumption is difficult. Why? 1. The software. Problems involving computer vision and perception, processing low resolution information and decision-making. ...

https://blog.samgerstenzang.com/post/91257124023