What You’ve Done in the Past Does Not Matter

This is going to become a place for me to vent, and I just hope that no one discovers it.

Since Moda started hiring, I talk to around fifty engineers a week, most of whom want to become founders. There’s a pattern that enrages me: most people tie themselves to what they’ve already done, as if it’s the most impressive thing they’ll ever do.

I guarantee you that I couldn’t care less that you worked at Citadel two years ago. It might be a signal, I guess, but if you’re building a startup, why not talk about that instead? Why not let that be your track record?

I’m not saying your past doesn’t matter. But you should look at your career in slices, and when you pitch yourself, pitch your most recent slice. That should be the most impressive thing about you.

The part you spent chasing the thing you’re pitching now.

Nobody who made it big pitched their previous self as the product. They pitched the miles already walked toward the next thing.

The future you’re pitching is only as believable as the past you spent chasing it. If there is nothing to pitch, then you shouldn’t be pitching. Go chase for a month. Only then will you truly be appreciated.