Move Slow and Fix Things (2024)

Growing up as a kid in rural Bavaria, I always dreamed of moving to the US to run a startup. Many kids in my generation shared that dream. To me, it felt like the only way to combine my two greatest passions: writing code and building things. As I got older, I became disillusioned with the narrative surrounding Silicon Valley. The hockey stick growth, the VC money, the “get rich quick” mentality – it was all one big illusion. For a long time, I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly bothered me about it. Part of what made me increasingly uncomfortable was the glorification of hustle culture – the idea that you have to work yourself to the bone to make it big against all odds. The other part was the “winner takes all” mentality and the mindset that you have to “move fast and break things” to succeed. I don’t believe that has to be the case. As it turns out, I’ve always been drawn to the exact opposite: sustainable growth, robust solutions, and a long-term mindset. That’s why I’ve been contributing to open source for 15 years, why I only run small, bootstrapped businesses or non-profits, and why I focus on writing and knowledge sharing. Paul Graham and his VC buddies would have you believe that your ultimate goal as a founder should be to build a unicorn. But when I look at the Ubers, Facebooks, and Googles of this world, I see greed, gatekeeping, systemic exploitation, user tracking, excessive resource consumption, and lawsuits against competitors. These companies will do anything in their power to stay on top – even if it means bending the law or finding legal loopholes. What kind of role model is that? The Other Side Who’s on the “other side”? It’s the humble minority building small but meaningful things. These people advocate for privacy, develop civic tech, try to live within their means, move deliberately, and fix what’s broken. They fly under the radar because their success isn’t measured in dollars, and they lack big marketing budgets. Instead, they focus on their product, doing a lot with very little. I find that far more inspiring. It’s incredibly rewarding to build something people love that can provide you with a comfortable living. There’s no need to risk it all, drop out of college, work insane hours, and leave a trail of destruction in your wake. You can build something small and useful instead, without a venture capitalist breathing down your neck. It’s still hard work, but you’re leaving the campsite a little better than you found it. Note …