Ben Schmidt

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[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

How to tell you're a real startup founder:

1 relationship that has been reduced to a 10-minute "debrief" at 11:30 PM.

3 different alarms on your phone: one to wake up, one to remind you to eat, and one to remind you to stop staring at the equity tracker.

2 years where your entire wardrobe consists of the free branded t-shirts you made for launch parties.

1 doctor's visit where you tried to pay with vested options.

1 flight where you spent the entire time calculating the precise value of the Wi-Fi access in terms of billable hours.

2 weeks you thought you were sick, but it was just the stress of managing four different communication platforms.

1 time you referred to your kitchen as your "home office kitchen."

3 friends who only text you to ask if you've heard of their new idea that's "going to be the next big thing."

I don’t make the rules.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

biggest waste of time is raising capital.

why take money now at a $10m valuation when you can just wait 5 years, do nothing, and raise at a $100m valuation because of inflation?

time is the only asset that compounds.

stop pitching. start waiting.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

By age 30 you should have:

1 product roadmap that was completely derailed by a single OpenAI update

3 competitors that launched last week who are just ChatGPT wrappers with better UI

1 existential crisis about whether your SaaS is actually just a feature for Microsoft

2 LinkedIn posts using the word "delve" that you definitely didn't write yourself

1 frantic attempt to buy GPUs on the grey market

1 pivot to "AI-first" even though your backend is just a spreadsheet

1 co-founder who is suddenly an "expert in LLMs" despite being a marketing major

1 prediction about AGI that aged like milk left in the sun

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

I just locked myself out of our admin dashboard for 48 hours.

Not because of a security protocol update. Not because of 2FA issues. But because I changed the password to "Mindset123!" and then forgot if I capitalized the M.

Here are the operational insights this taught me about the importance of decentralized command structures:

Being unable to log into your own company is really bad for micromanaging your developers.

If you plan to serve as a bottleneck for every decision, consider writing your password on a sticky note like a boomer.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

By age 40 you should have:

1 panic attack about AI taking your job before you can even afford to retire

3 conversations with your spouse about "just getting a normal job" that ended in silence

1 LinkedIn feed full of 25-year-olds giving you life advice

2 failed side hustles you started because you panicked about your lack of liquidity

1 expensive hobby (like cycling) that you use to dissociate from your burn rate

1 sudden appreciation for "boring" businesses that actually make profit

1 realization that "changing the world" is cool, but so is a matching 401k

1 existential crisis every time you see a "30 under 30" list

Leave a comment on your favorite!

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

"We don't build software; we architect digital empathy paradigms."

I put this on a neon sign. I pinned it in our Slack channel. I chanted it at the all-hands meeting.

The result? Engineering hasn't pushed a single commit in 12 days because nobody knows what the hell that means.
Pro tip: If your company mission statement requires a philosophy degree to decode, your product is probably broken.

#Vision #CoreValues #Alignment #Tech

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Are you clinging to a dying vision out of habit?

Real builders know the difference between grit and delusion. I have lived through the moments where the data demanded change.

Pivoting is not failure. It is the ultimate act of operational courage.

Listen to the market and ignore the critics. If you put in the work on the right problem, you will build something remarkable.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Dear Vibe coders... can't wait to see what you do with DevOps. Good luck! 👊

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

10 things I wish my non-startup family and friends knew about my work:

* My love language is "please don't add another meeting to my calendar."
* I am not ignoring your text; I have just reached my cognitive limit for human interaction today.
* Please don't tell me to "relax." Relaxing is for people who don't have payroll to meet on Friday.
* I envy your boring job. I fantasize about spreadsheets that someone else is responsible for.
* "Pivoting" is just a fancy word for "we were wrong and now we are panicking."
* I don't have "work-life balance." I have "work-work integration" and it is terrible.
* Every time you ask "when will you sell the company?", a unicorn loses its horn.
* I am not a pessimist; I am a founder who has seen the cap table.
* Success is not a straight line; it is a scribbled mess that looks like a toddler drew it.
* I keep doing this because I am structurally unemployable and I have forgotten how to have a boss.

Leave a comment on your favorite or if I missed something.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Is your silent partner actually your biggest blind spot?

Early on, I thought silence meant agreement. It does not.

Managing equity relationships requires clear and consistent communication. Do not wait for a crisis to speak up.

You are the builder. You set the tone for the entire ship.

Real value is built on trust and radical transparency. Keep building because your vision depends on your leadership alone.

More: https://t.co/WF1LN8Righ

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

I just got our company permanently banned from LinkedIn.

Not because of a phishing scam.
Not because of a data privacy violation.
But because I built an AI agent to automatically comment "10x this 🔥" on every post containing the word "synergy."

Here are the organic marketing lessons this taught me about scaling inbound funnels:

🚨 Being exiled from the only platform where your B2B product matters is really bad for lead generation. 🚨

If you plan to growth hack your social presence, consider using your actual fingers to type.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

I am sharing my elite vibe-coder security best-practices guide...

Basically just avoid these because they're not best practice:
- Use the prompt: "Please make it hack-proof."
- Avoid pasting your entire .env file into the chat to "fix a vibe check error."
- Do not make production databases open to the public because the AI "thought it would be more collaborative."
- Stop shedding tears when you realize "vibes" don't stop a brute-force attack.

Follow me if you want reminders to stop vibe-coding and go learn to build for real. 👊

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

After "consulting" with my local barista and three different AI agents, I've distilled the essence of modern scale. Here are 9 non-negotiable startup hacks to ensure your Series A looks like a winner:

🚨 The Calendar Congestion Strategy: Never send a naked Calendly link. Pre-load your Tuesday and Thursday with "Focus Blocks" and "Internal Alignment" (read: naps). If a prospect sees a white canvas, they smell desperation. If they see one 15-minute slot at 7:45 AM, they smell a visionary.

🚨 The "Stealth Mode" Paradox: If your landing page is just an email waitlist with a grainy video of a nebula, your valuation increases by $2M instantly. Ambiguity is the highest form of marketing.

🚨 Outsource Your Personality: Hire a ghostwriter to post "Agree?" under every LinkedIn thought leader's post. Reach 500+ connections without ever having an original thought.

🚨 The Coffee Shop Headquarters: Change your LinkedIn location to "San Francisco" while living in your parents' basement in Ohio. The algorithm can't track physical mass, only vibes.

🚨 The "Ex-FAANG" Halo: Even if you only interned at Google for two weeks in 2014, put "Ex-Google" in your headline. It's not a lie; it's a legacy. Also, "Early" is defined as anyone less than the 1,000,000th employee...

🚨 Iterative Identity Crisis: Pivot your entire business model every time a new YC demo day happens. Moving from Web3 to Generative AI to "AI-Native Sustainable Bio-Hacking" shows agility.

🚨 The Inbox Zero Delusion: Set an auto-responder that says, "I'm currently heads-down building the future. For urgent matters, contact my Chief of Staff (your second email address)."

🚨 Venture Capital Roleplay: Spend 40% of your seed round on a branded neon sign for a rented WeWork office. If the walls don't glow, the culture isn't real.

🚨 The LinkedIn Poll Trap: Post a poll: "Is AI the future or the present?" with no "No" option. Engagement is the only currency that doesn't suffer from inflation.

Stay in the fight. 👊

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

I think the very core of an entrepreneurship is dreaming about a future that doesn't exist yet... we all must dare to dream.

A big thanks to one of my dearest mentors for some important life lessons. You are missed.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Is your product solving a real problem?

We ignore the critics and the hype.

Finding product market fit requires absolute discipline.

- Listen to every customer.
- Adapt your product daily.
- Ignore the vanity metrics.

The world needs your solution.

Stop searching for shortcuts and start doing the work.

Real value lasts because we build it brick by brick.

More: https://t.co/RIeDSqyoC4

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Startups are crazy places. Failure is an option.

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Is it grit or just delusion?

I have stood at that crossroads many times. Critics call it failure. Builders just call it a pivot. But it always feels like failure...

* Listen to the data.
* Ignore the noise.
* Build what people actually want.

Success belongs to those who adapt without losing heart. The market is your only boss. The sad reality, no one is paying attention and that's the biggest signal you need to pivot.

Go build something that lasts.

More: https://t.co/gPes58fe1B

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Is your partner your biggest investor?

Building a business takes more than capital. It requires the support of those closest to us. I have seen how relationships make or break a startup.

- Communicate early.
- Share the vision.
- Protect your peace.

Ignore the critics who say you must sacrifice everything. Real builders know that solid foundations at home create solid businesses.

Let's get back to work.

More: https://t.co/WF1LN8Righ

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

How to get started vibe-coding your next startup...
1. Change to your LinkedIn headline to include "AI Architect" after successfully prompting a "Hello World" app.
2. Get over your deep-seated fear of a terminal window.
3. Get into arguments with actual engineers about why "logic" is just a legacy constraint for people who don't have "vision."
4. Develop a product roadmap that is basically just a wish list sent to a chatbot.

Get busy building. 👊

[Ben Schmidt @IamBenSchmidt]

Are you waiting for a lightning strike of brilliance to scale?

Product market fit is not a lottery win. It is the reward for relentless discipline and the courage to adapt when the data proves you wrong.

I have built companies by ignoring critics and listening to customers. Stop searching for magic secrets.

Success belongs to the builders who stay in the arena. Put in the work.

More: https://t.co/RIeDSqyoC4