I found the SpaceX IPO surprisingly emotional today. It reminded me of why I came to the US as an 18-year-old. Even then, I knew that I wanted to build stuff, and that the place to do it was America. There was no second option in the world. The concept of American exceptionalism is nothing new, but I have come to appreciate the culture that justifies it. SpaceX is yet another case in point. America’s risk-taking culture celebrates wild successes while embracing the legitimacy of hard-earned failure. American culture doesn’t celebrate inherited wealth, nor does it frown upon inherited poverty. It doesn’t seek to create equal outcomes, but rather equal opportunity. It is not immediately obvious that this is unique in the world. Truly unique. I’m Canadian, and I love many aspects of Canadian culture, but Canadian culture does not offer people the same environment in which to take risks. I write this because I was dismayed to see US politicians complaining of the extreme wealth created by the SpaceX IPO. Say what you will about wealth inequality, or a single man’s politics, but don’t tell me that immense wealth creation in America is bad. Do not tell me you’d rather SpaceX not exist, exactly as it does. That you’d rather this company exist in some other country or culture. Thankfully, despite today’s politics, SpaceX could not have been a Chinese company, or a Canadian one, or a French one. It could only ever have been an American one. If nationalism is pride in your birthplace, then it’s merely tribalism, which serves to divide us. But if it’s pride in your culture, a culture that lets people achieve incredible things like this, then under those terms I am a nationalist. I want to protect and enhance our culture of risk-taking, of celebrating wins, and of celebrating failures along the way. I think it is amazing that America created a trillionaire out of a risk-taking immigrant. It is absolutely fucking absurd, of course, but isn’t that the point? SpaceX is not a reason to be pissed off; it’s a reason for every person in the world who wants to build stuff to see themselves as American, no matter where in the world they live. p.s. — this is entirely from my brain, with AI used only for fixing typos and grammar. :^)

For many startups, fundraising is a grind filled with rejections and occasional humiliations. It can be even more demoralizing when you think you're the only one struggling. You aren't.

what if everything goes right

This is by far the best interview I have ever seen with someone who holds or held elective office Every school should show this to the students @BenSasse - exactly what we need

MOST PEOPLE: 6-12 months escalate → discuss → roadmap “let’s circle back” HEAT SEEKER: 1-2 days isolate → fix → ship “done”

Chicago news feels like the Onion at this point

Chicago has long deserved a serious startup hub. Introducing Density Collective.

When he catches you doing things that don’t scale

We are less than a week out from @ChiTechIRL's event next week. Let me know if you can make it!

Insurance will be the biggest story in real estate 2024-2034

A strong pitch is simple statements said in a sequential way that doesn't require leaps of faith, but when taken together add up to a very big audacious idea.

Took me a long time to realize solutions aren't always what people want. Sometimes they just want someone to empathize with them.

If you deeply care about Chicago, as I do, and want to see our city and people grow and prosper, then I highly encourage you to both thoroughly read this entire thread and follow its author @StuLoren Stuart very clearly and articulately states the great problems we’re facing and paints the obvious picture of how we solve our overall crisis, through recruiting and retaining the top businesses and entrepreneurs by improving public safety, reducing taxes, and stabilizing fiscal health Nothing here is complicated, it’s all completely obvious if you think about it logically Now all we need is serious leadership in our local government to actually do the hard work and save our city from a death spiral that we’re potentially already experiencing

🎉 Everyone at Obie wishes you a safe and happy New Year! We are closed today in observance of the holiday, but will be back tomorrow to kick off 2024.

It's much easier to build when you're optimistic. In this episode, @daltonc and @mwseibel discuss the best ways for founders and aspiring founders to think about weighing optimism and pessimism in their day-to-day. ▶️ youtu.be/vhXdUXmmhb4

Thanks @DangremondSam! Glad it worked out for you!

Everyone needs to watch this video in its entirety, and then send it to your friends and family immediately

💯💯💯

At YC, we work with founders throughout the life of their startup and beyond, to build the world-changing companies of the future. And we'd love to work with you. The deadline to apply for YC W24 is this Friday, Oct 13 at 8pm PDT — apply today at ycombinator.com/apply.

Thanks to TRAC and @BusinessInsider for highlighting Obie on this list of future tech unicorns!