Both/And Success Mindset
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Shaan Puri shares his perspective on Peter Thiel and contrarian thinking, highlighting how exceptional thinkers operate at a different level and achieve outsized success through unconventional approaches.
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On Peter Thiel's Thinking Level:
- Makes you feel like "a small simpleton" when hearing him speak
- Comparable to viewing the world from a plane where everything looks tiny
- Has remarkable conviction in original thoughts
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On Being a Contrarian:
- Often wrong, but when right, it's in a major way
- Notable successful contrarian bets:
- PayPal
- First Facebook investment (10% stake for $500)
- Supporting Trump early when Silicon Valley opposed
- Thiel Fellowship program (initially laughed at)
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On Success Rate:
- Doesn't need to be right all the time
- The magnitude of correct predictions outweighs frequency
- Critics note he often predicts market crashes and world-ending scenarios
- People only remember the times he's right
- Wrong predictions often seem "just a little bit late"
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On Respect for Original Thinking:
- Values contrarian thinking that proves correct more than just success
- Admires those who go against the grain with original thoughts
- The ability to think differently and be right is more impressive than conventional success
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Notable Outcomes:
- Thiel Fellowship produced significant successes:
- Ethereum (though Thiel doesn't claim this victory)
- Figma ($10 billion+ outcome)
- Multiple other successful companies
- Thiel Fellowship produced significant successes:
Sam Parr
Host of MFM and fitness influencer
Sam Parr is a serial entrepreneur and business media pioneer.
In 2016, he founded The Hustle, a business news media company that started in his kitchen with just $12 and grew to eight figures in revenue.
Sam led the charge in making newsletters popular when few believed in their potential.
After four successful years, he sold The Hustle to HubSpot, a publicly traded company. Now operating as HubSpot Media, The Hustle reaches 3 million readers daily, employs a team of nearly 100, and has been the launchpad for dozens of its staff to found their own media companies and newsletters.
Sam remains the host of the popular business podcast, My First Million, and continues to start and sell companies. He also co-founded Hampton, a highly vetted community for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs, and teaches people to write better through his platform, Copy That.