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Show Notes

[00:02:34] - [First question] - Why it’s important to keep the main thing the main thing

[00:04:59] - His first exposure to this idea; How Will You Measure Your Life

[00:07:50] - Thoughts on the conflict of the main thing for a business and a person

[00:11:45] - The most painful episode of enacting this philosophy at InstaCart

[00:16:13] - How this concept has manifested in his life as an investor at Sequoia

[00:19:16] - Amazon’s 14 leadership principles vs. his concept of focus

[00:21:55] - What good main things share in common and their attributes; Frank Slootman Episode

[00:24:48] - Whether or not the feedback loop for things that work are very short

[00:26:04] - The nature of joy and competitiveness in company culture

[00:29:01] - How he assesses the depth that motivation runs through people and companies

[00:32:43] - Analysis of his own motivations in life

[00:35:34] - Differences and shortcomings of virtuous and vicious motivators

[00:37:15] - How to accurately figure out someones motivators in a short period of time

[00:40:22] - Being Demanding and Supportive; Why these words pair so well together

[00:45:55] - What he’s looking for in companies given all of the ideas discussed so far

[00:51:11] - How his ideology manifests inside of Sequoia

[00:58:44] - What it’s like to mentor an apprentice and how to do it well

[01:02:40] - Adjusting behaviors to meet current markets where they’re at

[01:06:13] - Defining what a great product is

[01:07:56] - What he did to turn around InstaCart by narrowing their focus

[01:12:28] - The things that most drove the switchover at InstaCart

[01:14:53] - The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him