I got curious after reading his Hacker News post (https://t.co/t69Tz5E2Eb) and became one of the first users
Feels like a good time to share my path from random person on the internet to @Coinbase to @1confirmation
Nothing special just curiosity and hustle which everyone has, it just needs to be unlocked
I got curious after reading his Hacker News post (https://t.co/t69Tz5E2Eb) and became one of the first users
Buying on https://t.co/lvwtxPqm8B was a huge improvement from that initial experience
Before working for the company I proved I could contribute by convincing many to use Coinbase merchant tools (@fiverr @fancy @treehouse @SJEarthquakes, etc)
A phishing attack wiped out my entire BTC holdings (before 2FA on withdrawals) 🤬
Startups are volatile, crypto startups are extra volatile 😬
Helped Coinbase emerge as trusted brand 🚀
Launched new products that helped BTC adoption🌎
The core buy/sell product was what moved the needle (still is)
People like @pmarca shared my work which helped a lot for "credibility" but more importantly for confidence e.g. https://t.co/dY5PlyIjFo
This was an obvious misstep - we focused too much on the yellow paper and what distributed systems PhDs were saying and not enough on the talent of the creators (@VitalikButerin and @gavofyork). We quickly adjusted though
First investors: @Andrebliznyuk @jgut @mcuban @pmarca @cdixon @peterthiel
The Coinbase public listing will be a nice milestone for the industry when it happens but it's just the first inning
This is not a platitude, it’s already started & will happen on massive scale this decade
Ignore uninformed opinions from extroverts around you
It’s easy to have a short-term view that sounds good to other people, much harder and more rewarding to have quiet conviction long-term and be right
You don’t have to have special talent or be in Silicon Valley to benefit from new ideas online, you can be anyone with curiosity & hustle anywhere
More from Tech
A common misunderstanding about Agile and “Big Design Up Front”:
There’s nothing in the Agile Manifesto or Principles that states you should never have any idea what you’re trying to build.
You’re allowed to think about a desired outcome from the beginning.
It’s not Big Design Up Front if you do in-depth research to understand the user’s problem.
It’s not BDUF if you spend detailed time learning who needs this thing and why they need it.
It’s not BDUF if you help every team member know what success looks like.
Agile is about reducing risk.
It’s not Agile if you increase risk by starting your sprints with complete ignorance.
It’s not Agile if you don’t research.
Don’t make the mistake of shutting down critical understanding by labeling it Bg Design Up Front.
It would be a mistake to assume this research should only be done by designers and researchers.
Product management and developers also need to be out with the team, conducting the research.
Shared Understanding is the key objective
Big Design Up Front is a thing to avoid.
Defining all the functionality before coding is BDUF.
Drawing every screen and every pixel is BDUF.
Promising functionality (or delivery dates) to customers before development starts is BDUF.
These things shouldn’t happen in Agile.
There’s nothing in the Agile Manifesto or Principles that states you should never have any idea what you’re trying to build.
You’re allowed to think about a desired outcome from the beginning.
It’s not Big Design Up Front if you do in-depth research to understand the user’s problem.
It’s not BDUF if you spend detailed time learning who needs this thing and why they need it.
It’s not BDUF if you help every team member know what success looks like.
Agile is about reducing risk.
It’s not Agile if you increase risk by starting your sprints with complete ignorance.
It’s not Agile if you don’t research.
Don’t make the mistake of shutting down critical understanding by labeling it Bg Design Up Front.
It would be a mistake to assume this research should only be done by designers and researchers.
Product management and developers also need to be out with the team, conducting the research.
Shared Understanding is the key objective
I\u2019d recommend that the devs participate directly in the research.
— Jared Spool (@jmspool) November 18, 2018
If the devs go into the first sprint with a thorough understanding of the user\u2019s problems, they are far more likely to solve it well.
Big Design Up Front is a thing to avoid.
Defining all the functionality before coding is BDUF.
Drawing every screen and every pixel is BDUF.
Promising functionality (or delivery dates) to customers before development starts is BDUF.
These things shouldn’t happen in Agile.
