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httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 17

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Rediffcom raquo Getahead raquo Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder

Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder

Last updated on September 05 2014 1040 IST

Embrace your constraints They are provocative They are challenging Theywake you up They make you more creative They make you betterrdquo

Detractors initially said Twitters 140 character limit was constraining -- but thatunleashed a new form of wit and creativity and power for activists

Co-founder of Twitter Biz Stone tells us of the multiple lessons he learned fromhis enterprising entrepreneurial journey often the hard way

In his new book Biz Stone the co-founder of Twitter discusses the power of creativity andhow to harness it through stories from his remarkable life and career

Stone is known as the creative effervescent funny charming positive optimistic altruisticand yet remarkably savvy co-founder

His book -- Things a Little Bird Told Me Confessions of the Creative Mind -- spans 224 pagesand 18 chapters and covers the pivotal and personal stories from his life along with lessonsearned and learned the hard way

Born in Boston in 1974 Biz Stones first start-up was Xanga

He was recruited by Google in the early 2000s and connected with Blogger founder EvanWilliams the pair later left to work on their own start-up Odeo

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952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 27

Twitter was founded in 2007 after a hackathon when the original videocasting product did notpan out as materialised

Twitters dizzying global success led to Stone being recognised by Time magazine as one of themost influential persons in the world

His other books include Who Let the Blogs Out A Hyperconnected Peek at the World ofWeblogs

Creativity is what makes us unique inspired and fulfilled This book is about how to tap intothe creativity in and around us all Stone begins

Here are my top 20 takeaways from his book that offer insights into creativity ethics andglobal vision

1 Create opportunities donrsquot wait for them

Opportunity is manufactured says Stone

Dont wait for circumstances to align your stars go ahead and make the opportunity yourself

He used this principle even in school days to create a lacrosse team since he was not good inother sports he also landed his first job as a book cover designer by submitting a cover to theart director even though he was just interning as a delivery boy

2 Start with an idea

Donrsquot dig into specifics first start off with an idea

If you take an idea and just hold it in your head you unconsciously start to do things thatadvance you toward that goal says Stone

Have confidence in your ideas before they even exist he advises

Sometimes even a sense of desperation that you will eventually get an idea will keep you going

3 Invest emotionally in your idea

According to Stone If you donrsquot love what you are building if yoursquore not an avid user yourselfthen you will most likely fail even if you are doing everything else right

His start-up Odeo did not go too far because he was not into audio podcasts himself andtherefore missed out on important features such as sound quality

Twitter on the other hand brought Stone much more joy and excitement

If you are not engaged you cannot go on there will be no gravity

4 Creativity has infinite approaches

One thing Stone learnt as a book cover designer is that there are infinite approaches to frameunderstand and solve a problem

If one of your creative ideas does not work or does not find acceptance let go and move on toanother one

Donrsquot take rejection personally

Creativity Stone says is a renewable resource

Challenge yourself every day Be as creative as you like as often as you want because you cannever run out Experience and creativity drive us to make unexpected offbeat connections It isthese non-linear steps that often lead to the greatest workrdquo

Stone drew on this principle while working at Google -- full of PhDs while he himself was acollege dropout he advocated a focus on the human aspects of tools and not just technical

5 Learn to harness constraints for creativity

Constraint inspires creativity says Stone drawing on a number of examples including his

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Met a celebrityEmail us photos amp videos

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 37

own

Steven Spielberg had a limited budget for the movie Jaws -- so instead of creating anexpensive replica he decided to shoot from the sharkrsquos point of view -- which turned out to beeven scarier

Harrison Ford had the runs while shooting The Raiders of the Lost Ark -- and instead ofduelling a swordfighter in one scene he just proposed a gunshot -- which became an iconicmoment in the film

Due to resource constraints ARM came up with chips which were just not good enough forPCs -- but ended up being perfect for cellphones

Embrace your constraints They are provocative They are challenging They wake you upThey make you more creative They make you better says Stone

Detractors initially said Twitters 140 character limit was constraining -- but that unleashed anew form of wit and creativity and power for activists

6 Tap the flocking and swarming nature of humans in social media

Social media are not just about content and connections but flocking and swarming

Tweets re-tweets follows and hashtags have the snowball effect of creating realtime swarms ofhumans which can be harnessed for business social and even political activities

Human flocking can even create a planetary super-organism of like-minded supporters of acause Social media platforms should plug into this movement and support flocking instincts

7 Treat failure as an asset not just a lesson

You must be willing to fail if you want your dream to succeed

In order to succeed spectacularly you must be ready to fail spectacularly cautions Stone

Learn how to work with just life-support systems during times of crisis

If you have product or service glitches own up to them and show you are working to fix them

Dealing with failure shows you are committed to the long term and wont quit

Twitters Fail Whale image of a whale being lifted by a bunch of tiny birds reflects this principle-- with a touch of creativity so much so that it created a fan club of those who overcamefailures and even led to a Fail Whale conference where Stone was invited as a keynote speaker

8 Have an idealist on your team

Every company needs an idealist says Stone

An upbeat positive communicative person who always focuses on the bright spot and the lightat the end of the tunnel helps

Its not about having fake rose-tinted glasses but an open curious and optimistic attitude

Always look for the small wins and successes and acknowledge them keep the spirit ofencouragement going

Of course in the case of Twitter it was Biz Stone himself

9 Stay neutral in politics

It may be tempting for start-ups to openly support a party government country or ideologicalcamp

But in the long term it is best to stay neutral and focus only on universal principles

Twitter stayed focused for the most part on being an open realtime information sharingplatform for all global users and stayed away from openly supporting the Democrats duringthe elections or the US government position on Iran

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 47

10 Define your companyrsquos culture -- and indoctrinate all new employees into it

Be passionate about your product -- but also about your companyrsquos culture and ethics

Build the compass for your company -- and stick to it

Twitter defined a set of six assumptions for all its employees based on humility opennessrespect equitable partnerships and holistic vision

(i) We donrsquot always know whatrsquos going to happen

(ii) There are more smart people out there than in here

(iii) We will win if we do the right things for our users

(iv) The only deal worth doing is a win-win deal

(v) Our co-workers are smart and they have good intentions

(vi) We can build a business change the world and have fun

11 Listen to your customers

When customers complain respond to each and every one of them

An honest and empathetic answer can even win them over

When they offer good feasible solutions accept them

Most of the Twitter nomenclature actually came from users and not the companyrsquos team --such as tweets retweets replies hashtags and Twestivals

12 Zoom out

Periodically step out of the daily grind and zoom out

Take a high-altitude view of whats going on in your life and start thinking about where youreally want to go See the whole geography advises Stone

Donrsquot let others programme your life GPS

Think of where you want to be the kind of people you would be surrounded with and whatthey would say about you

Search for emotional engagement

13 Give back to society -- start now no matter how small it is

Doing good for others is not just good for them but for you it gives you the joy of empoweringothers

Twitter helps charities such as DonorsChooseorg for student support

You can give not just money but in kind and with energy and time via volunteering

Starting now no matter how small unleashes the compound interest of altruism -- the resultsmultiple earlier you learn how to give better you build a bigger network and when you makeit big you know how much more to give and to whom

The flocking nature of social media makes it that much easier to connect with causes andamplify contributions to them

The biggest power of social media is to help create a global culture of good and solve theworlds problems

14 Have a sense of humour

The book is full of examples of humour and quirkiness which not just keeps you happy in lifebut opens up new insights

For example if you have insights and conviction call yourself a genius

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 57

Sometimes you may have a great idea at other times you just have the supreme confidencethat you can have an idea

You have to begin somewhere so call yourself a genius and you will start thinking like one

Stone in his earlier days had a blog called Biz Stone Genius -- and whenever he got stuck inhis career path he would put on his genius hat

His proposed offer for sale to Facebookrsquos Mark Zuckerberg was five hundred million dollarswhich he just made up as a joke -- but eventually raised Twitters own valuation

15 Investors help -- but can also take over your company

The end of the book offers sobering lessons to founders on what happens when they become sosuccessful that investors pump in money into the company -- and then take control

The board of directors of Twitter eventually fired the co-founder CEO and brought in a careerCEO who could scale the company with more robust infrastructure

This kind of upheaval can destroy friendships cautions Stone

The book Hatching Twitter A True Story of Money Power Friendship and Betrayal by NickBilton offers more details into this troubled chapter of Twitters history

16 Look at the world through the lens of infinite possibility

Start-ups can be a triumph not just of technology but of humanity

There are good people everywhere

Use tools not just for mundane activities but recasting nations as part of a larger globalcommunity solving planetary problems and not just personal issues

Build a company with a big vision powered by empathy altruism and humanity -- and therevenues will eventually come

Many founders frame problems of a local and national nature but some of these can be scaledup to tackle much broader issues

17 Think humanity first then technology

The true promise of a connected society is people helping one another says Stone

Im a guy who believes in the triumph of humanity with a little help from technology headds

These principles helped navigate through the turbulent years when social media principleswere yet being formulated and later helped the company forge alliances with HIVAIDScampaigns and NGOs for online fundraising and advocacy

18 Redefine old problems

Just because some problems are being tackled well now does not mean they canrsquot bereinterpreted and solved in new ways

Google may be the kind of search and artificial intelligence but the game is not over -- newkinds of socially-mediated search are possible now

Technology is the connective tissue of humanity says Stone explaining how new kinds ofsearch are possible via a network of mobile phone users

Phones are the hyperlinks of humanity says Stone

The whole idea of how to get help can be reinvented by actual intelligence instead of artificialintelligence

19 The key to global citizenship is empathy

Wouldnt it be great if everyone knew that there is always someone in the world to help them

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 67

Print this article

The best swing you can take at global citizenship is to cultivate empathy says Stone

This may start with being informed in realtime about other people and events but goes beyondto understanding their viewpoints and helping them online and offline

20 When you succeed start over again

Starting over is one of the hardest leaps to make in life Security stability safety -- its scary ifnot downright irresponsible to leave these behind says Stone

But thatrsquos exactly what he did a number of times and his current venture after Twitter is calledJelly a tool for people to help one another via collaborative search and thereby build globalempathy

There is more to success than a Lamborghini he wraps up in the book

In addition to these 20 insights the book offers an engaging peek into the life of Stone -- hischallenges of growing up with separated parents overcoming the fear of darkness as a childclimbing over the school wall to get into the final dance party though he was late thedifficulties of living on the edge with his mother being on welfare stamps at one point beingbroke in New York and having hangovers in San Francisco

On the bright side it also tells you more about how he came about interacting with thegeniuses at Google learning from his spouse about empathy for abandoned animals the joy ofseeing Twitter first emerge into a success story at SXSW seeing the emergence of hashtags andmeetups and witnessing the birth of a new global phenomenon

In sum the illuminative memoir offers insights into the behind-the-scenes lifestyles and dealsof Twitter and will particularly appeal to Twitter fans as well as aspiring entrepreneurs

ALSO READ 10 things I wish I knew when I was 20 Chetan Bhagat

6 lessons for YOU from Indias freedom movement

Madanmohan Rao

Related News Biz Stone

Related Articles

gt

Its freeTo get such articles in your inbox Enter Your email ID SUBSCRIBE gt

6 lessons for YOUfrom Indiasfreedommovement

20 life lessons Ilearned in my 20s

3 reasons to stop drinkingboiled water

New fundamentals of

3 Juices That Make YouFeel Slimmer By The Day

How to Make a 1 BHK into a15 BHK

Sponsored Content You May Like

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 37

own

Steven Spielberg had a limited budget for the movie Jaws -- so instead of creating anexpensive replica he decided to shoot from the sharkrsquos point of view -- which turned out to beeven scarier

Harrison Ford had the runs while shooting The Raiders of the Lost Ark -- and instead ofduelling a swordfighter in one scene he just proposed a gunshot -- which became an iconicmoment in the film

Due to resource constraints ARM came up with chips which were just not good enough forPCs -- but ended up being perfect for cellphones

Embrace your constraints They are provocative They are challenging They wake you upThey make you more creative They make you better says Stone

Detractors initially said Twitters 140 character limit was constraining -- but that unleashed anew form of wit and creativity and power for activists

6 Tap the flocking and swarming nature of humans in social media

Social media are not just about content and connections but flocking and swarming

Tweets re-tweets follows and hashtags have the snowball effect of creating realtime swarms ofhumans which can be harnessed for business social and even political activities

Human flocking can even create a planetary super-organism of like-minded supporters of acause Social media platforms should plug into this movement and support flocking instincts

7 Treat failure as an asset not just a lesson

You must be willing to fail if you want your dream to succeed

In order to succeed spectacularly you must be ready to fail spectacularly cautions Stone

Learn how to work with just life-support systems during times of crisis

If you have product or service glitches own up to them and show you are working to fix them

Dealing with failure shows you are committed to the long term and wont quit

Twitters Fail Whale image of a whale being lifted by a bunch of tiny birds reflects this principle-- with a touch of creativity so much so that it created a fan club of those who overcamefailures and even led to a Fail Whale conference where Stone was invited as a keynote speaker

8 Have an idealist on your team

Every company needs an idealist says Stone

An upbeat positive communicative person who always focuses on the bright spot and the lightat the end of the tunnel helps

Its not about having fake rose-tinted glasses but an open curious and optimistic attitude

Always look for the small wins and successes and acknowledge them keep the spirit ofencouragement going

Of course in the case of Twitter it was Biz Stone himself

9 Stay neutral in politics

It may be tempting for start-ups to openly support a party government country or ideologicalcamp

But in the long term it is best to stay neutral and focus only on universal principles

Twitter stayed focused for the most part on being an open realtime information sharingplatform for all global users and stayed away from openly supporting the Democrats duringthe elections or the US government position on Iran

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 47

10 Define your companyrsquos culture -- and indoctrinate all new employees into it

Be passionate about your product -- but also about your companyrsquos culture and ethics

Build the compass for your company -- and stick to it

Twitter defined a set of six assumptions for all its employees based on humility opennessrespect equitable partnerships and holistic vision

(i) We donrsquot always know whatrsquos going to happen

(ii) There are more smart people out there than in here

(iii) We will win if we do the right things for our users

(iv) The only deal worth doing is a win-win deal

(v) Our co-workers are smart and they have good intentions

(vi) We can build a business change the world and have fun

11 Listen to your customers

When customers complain respond to each and every one of them

An honest and empathetic answer can even win them over

When they offer good feasible solutions accept them

Most of the Twitter nomenclature actually came from users and not the companyrsquos team --such as tweets retweets replies hashtags and Twestivals

12 Zoom out

Periodically step out of the daily grind and zoom out

Take a high-altitude view of whats going on in your life and start thinking about where youreally want to go See the whole geography advises Stone

Donrsquot let others programme your life GPS

Think of where you want to be the kind of people you would be surrounded with and whatthey would say about you

Search for emotional engagement

13 Give back to society -- start now no matter how small it is

Doing good for others is not just good for them but for you it gives you the joy of empoweringothers

Twitter helps charities such as DonorsChooseorg for student support

You can give not just money but in kind and with energy and time via volunteering

Starting now no matter how small unleashes the compound interest of altruism -- the resultsmultiple earlier you learn how to give better you build a bigger network and when you makeit big you know how much more to give and to whom

The flocking nature of social media makes it that much easier to connect with causes andamplify contributions to them

The biggest power of social media is to help create a global culture of good and solve theworlds problems

14 Have a sense of humour

The book is full of examples of humour and quirkiness which not just keeps you happy in lifebut opens up new insights

For example if you have insights and conviction call yourself a genius

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 57

Sometimes you may have a great idea at other times you just have the supreme confidencethat you can have an idea

You have to begin somewhere so call yourself a genius and you will start thinking like one

Stone in his earlier days had a blog called Biz Stone Genius -- and whenever he got stuck inhis career path he would put on his genius hat

His proposed offer for sale to Facebookrsquos Mark Zuckerberg was five hundred million dollarswhich he just made up as a joke -- but eventually raised Twitters own valuation

15 Investors help -- but can also take over your company

The end of the book offers sobering lessons to founders on what happens when they become sosuccessful that investors pump in money into the company -- and then take control

The board of directors of Twitter eventually fired the co-founder CEO and brought in a careerCEO who could scale the company with more robust infrastructure

This kind of upheaval can destroy friendships cautions Stone

The book Hatching Twitter A True Story of Money Power Friendship and Betrayal by NickBilton offers more details into this troubled chapter of Twitters history

16 Look at the world through the lens of infinite possibility

Start-ups can be a triumph not just of technology but of humanity

There are good people everywhere

Use tools not just for mundane activities but recasting nations as part of a larger globalcommunity solving planetary problems and not just personal issues

Build a company with a big vision powered by empathy altruism and humanity -- and therevenues will eventually come

Many founders frame problems of a local and national nature but some of these can be scaledup to tackle much broader issues

17 Think humanity first then technology

The true promise of a connected society is people helping one another says Stone

Im a guy who believes in the triumph of humanity with a little help from technology headds

These principles helped navigate through the turbulent years when social media principleswere yet being formulated and later helped the company forge alliances with HIVAIDScampaigns and NGOs for online fundraising and advocacy

18 Redefine old problems

Just because some problems are being tackled well now does not mean they canrsquot bereinterpreted and solved in new ways

Google may be the kind of search and artificial intelligence but the game is not over -- newkinds of socially-mediated search are possible now

Technology is the connective tissue of humanity says Stone explaining how new kinds ofsearch are possible via a network of mobile phone users

Phones are the hyperlinks of humanity says Stone

The whole idea of how to get help can be reinvented by actual intelligence instead of artificialintelligence

19 The key to global citizenship is empathy

Wouldnt it be great if everyone knew that there is always someone in the world to help them

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 67

Print this article

The best swing you can take at global citizenship is to cultivate empathy says Stone

This may start with being informed in realtime about other people and events but goes beyondto understanding their viewpoints and helping them online and offline

20 When you succeed start over again

Starting over is one of the hardest leaps to make in life Security stability safety -- its scary ifnot downright irresponsible to leave these behind says Stone

But thatrsquos exactly what he did a number of times and his current venture after Twitter is calledJelly a tool for people to help one another via collaborative search and thereby build globalempathy

There is more to success than a Lamborghini he wraps up in the book

In addition to these 20 insights the book offers an engaging peek into the life of Stone -- hischallenges of growing up with separated parents overcoming the fear of darkness as a childclimbing over the school wall to get into the final dance party though he was late thedifficulties of living on the edge with his mother being on welfare stamps at one point beingbroke in New York and having hangovers in San Francisco

On the bright side it also tells you more about how he came about interacting with thegeniuses at Google learning from his spouse about empathy for abandoned animals the joy ofseeing Twitter first emerge into a success story at SXSW seeing the emergence of hashtags andmeetups and witnessing the birth of a new global phenomenon

In sum the illuminative memoir offers insights into the behind-the-scenes lifestyles and dealsof Twitter and will particularly appeal to Twitter fans as well as aspiring entrepreneurs

ALSO READ 10 things I wish I knew when I was 20 Chetan Bhagat

6 lessons for YOU from Indias freedom movement

Madanmohan Rao

Related News Biz Stone

Related Articles

gt

Its freeTo get such articles in your inbox Enter Your email ID SUBSCRIBE gt

6 lessons for YOUfrom Indiasfreedommovement

20 life lessons Ilearned in my 20s

3 reasons to stop drinkingboiled water

New fundamentals of

3 Juices That Make YouFeel Slimmer By The Day

How to Make a 1 BHK into a15 BHK

Sponsored Content You May Like

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 47

10 Define your companyrsquos culture -- and indoctrinate all new employees into it

Be passionate about your product -- but also about your companyrsquos culture and ethics

Build the compass for your company -- and stick to it

Twitter defined a set of six assumptions for all its employees based on humility opennessrespect equitable partnerships and holistic vision

(i) We donrsquot always know whatrsquos going to happen

(ii) There are more smart people out there than in here

(iii) We will win if we do the right things for our users

(iv) The only deal worth doing is a win-win deal

(v) Our co-workers are smart and they have good intentions

(vi) We can build a business change the world and have fun

11 Listen to your customers

When customers complain respond to each and every one of them

An honest and empathetic answer can even win them over

When they offer good feasible solutions accept them

Most of the Twitter nomenclature actually came from users and not the companyrsquos team --such as tweets retweets replies hashtags and Twestivals

12 Zoom out

Periodically step out of the daily grind and zoom out

Take a high-altitude view of whats going on in your life and start thinking about where youreally want to go See the whole geography advises Stone

Donrsquot let others programme your life GPS

Think of where you want to be the kind of people you would be surrounded with and whatthey would say about you

Search for emotional engagement

13 Give back to society -- start now no matter how small it is

Doing good for others is not just good for them but for you it gives you the joy of empoweringothers

Twitter helps charities such as DonorsChooseorg for student support

You can give not just money but in kind and with energy and time via volunteering

Starting now no matter how small unleashes the compound interest of altruism -- the resultsmultiple earlier you learn how to give better you build a bigger network and when you makeit big you know how much more to give and to whom

The flocking nature of social media makes it that much easier to connect with causes andamplify contributions to them

The biggest power of social media is to help create a global culture of good and solve theworlds problems

14 Have a sense of humour

The book is full of examples of humour and quirkiness which not just keeps you happy in lifebut opens up new insights

For example if you have insights and conviction call yourself a genius

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 57

Sometimes you may have a great idea at other times you just have the supreme confidencethat you can have an idea

You have to begin somewhere so call yourself a genius and you will start thinking like one

Stone in his earlier days had a blog called Biz Stone Genius -- and whenever he got stuck inhis career path he would put on his genius hat

His proposed offer for sale to Facebookrsquos Mark Zuckerberg was five hundred million dollarswhich he just made up as a joke -- but eventually raised Twitters own valuation

15 Investors help -- but can also take over your company

The end of the book offers sobering lessons to founders on what happens when they become sosuccessful that investors pump in money into the company -- and then take control

The board of directors of Twitter eventually fired the co-founder CEO and brought in a careerCEO who could scale the company with more robust infrastructure

This kind of upheaval can destroy friendships cautions Stone

The book Hatching Twitter A True Story of Money Power Friendship and Betrayal by NickBilton offers more details into this troubled chapter of Twitters history

16 Look at the world through the lens of infinite possibility

Start-ups can be a triumph not just of technology but of humanity

There are good people everywhere

Use tools not just for mundane activities but recasting nations as part of a larger globalcommunity solving planetary problems and not just personal issues

Build a company with a big vision powered by empathy altruism and humanity -- and therevenues will eventually come

Many founders frame problems of a local and national nature but some of these can be scaledup to tackle much broader issues

17 Think humanity first then technology

The true promise of a connected society is people helping one another says Stone

Im a guy who believes in the triumph of humanity with a little help from technology headds

These principles helped navigate through the turbulent years when social media principleswere yet being formulated and later helped the company forge alliances with HIVAIDScampaigns and NGOs for online fundraising and advocacy

18 Redefine old problems

Just because some problems are being tackled well now does not mean they canrsquot bereinterpreted and solved in new ways

Google may be the kind of search and artificial intelligence but the game is not over -- newkinds of socially-mediated search are possible now

Technology is the connective tissue of humanity says Stone explaining how new kinds ofsearch are possible via a network of mobile phone users

Phones are the hyperlinks of humanity says Stone

The whole idea of how to get help can be reinvented by actual intelligence instead of artificialintelligence

19 The key to global citizenship is empathy

Wouldnt it be great if everyone knew that there is always someone in the world to help them

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 67

Print this article

The best swing you can take at global citizenship is to cultivate empathy says Stone

This may start with being informed in realtime about other people and events but goes beyondto understanding their viewpoints and helping them online and offline

20 When you succeed start over again

Starting over is one of the hardest leaps to make in life Security stability safety -- its scary ifnot downright irresponsible to leave these behind says Stone

But thatrsquos exactly what he did a number of times and his current venture after Twitter is calledJelly a tool for people to help one another via collaborative search and thereby build globalempathy

There is more to success than a Lamborghini he wraps up in the book

In addition to these 20 insights the book offers an engaging peek into the life of Stone -- hischallenges of growing up with separated parents overcoming the fear of darkness as a childclimbing over the school wall to get into the final dance party though he was late thedifficulties of living on the edge with his mother being on welfare stamps at one point beingbroke in New York and having hangovers in San Francisco

On the bright side it also tells you more about how he came about interacting with thegeniuses at Google learning from his spouse about empathy for abandoned animals the joy ofseeing Twitter first emerge into a success story at SXSW seeing the emergence of hashtags andmeetups and witnessing the birth of a new global phenomenon

In sum the illuminative memoir offers insights into the behind-the-scenes lifestyles and dealsof Twitter and will particularly appeal to Twitter fans as well as aspiring entrepreneurs

ALSO READ 10 things I wish I knew when I was 20 Chetan Bhagat

6 lessons for YOU from Indias freedom movement

Madanmohan Rao

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6 lessons for YOUfrom Indiasfreedommovement

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952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 57

Sometimes you may have a great idea at other times you just have the supreme confidencethat you can have an idea

You have to begin somewhere so call yourself a genius and you will start thinking like one

Stone in his earlier days had a blog called Biz Stone Genius -- and whenever he got stuck inhis career path he would put on his genius hat

His proposed offer for sale to Facebookrsquos Mark Zuckerberg was five hundred million dollarswhich he just made up as a joke -- but eventually raised Twitters own valuation

15 Investors help -- but can also take over your company

The end of the book offers sobering lessons to founders on what happens when they become sosuccessful that investors pump in money into the company -- and then take control

The board of directors of Twitter eventually fired the co-founder CEO and brought in a careerCEO who could scale the company with more robust infrastructure

This kind of upheaval can destroy friendships cautions Stone

The book Hatching Twitter A True Story of Money Power Friendship and Betrayal by NickBilton offers more details into this troubled chapter of Twitters history

16 Look at the world through the lens of infinite possibility

Start-ups can be a triumph not just of technology but of humanity

There are good people everywhere

Use tools not just for mundane activities but recasting nations as part of a larger globalcommunity solving planetary problems and not just personal issues

Build a company with a big vision powered by empathy altruism and humanity -- and therevenues will eventually come

Many founders frame problems of a local and national nature but some of these can be scaledup to tackle much broader issues

17 Think humanity first then technology

The true promise of a connected society is people helping one another says Stone

Im a guy who believes in the triumph of humanity with a little help from technology headds

These principles helped navigate through the turbulent years when social media principleswere yet being formulated and later helped the company forge alliances with HIVAIDScampaigns and NGOs for online fundraising and advocacy

18 Redefine old problems

Just because some problems are being tackled well now does not mean they canrsquot bereinterpreted and solved in new ways

Google may be the kind of search and artificial intelligence but the game is not over -- newkinds of socially-mediated search are possible now

Technology is the connective tissue of humanity says Stone explaining how new kinds ofsearch are possible via a network of mobile phone users

Phones are the hyperlinks of humanity says Stone

The whole idea of how to get help can be reinvented by actual intelligence instead of artificialintelligence

19 The key to global citizenship is empathy

Wouldnt it be great if everyone knew that there is always someone in the world to help them

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 67

Print this article

The best swing you can take at global citizenship is to cultivate empathy says Stone

This may start with being informed in realtime about other people and events but goes beyondto understanding their viewpoints and helping them online and offline

20 When you succeed start over again

Starting over is one of the hardest leaps to make in life Security stability safety -- its scary ifnot downright irresponsible to leave these behind says Stone

But thatrsquos exactly what he did a number of times and his current venture after Twitter is calledJelly a tool for people to help one another via collaborative search and thereby build globalempathy

There is more to success than a Lamborghini he wraps up in the book

In addition to these 20 insights the book offers an engaging peek into the life of Stone -- hischallenges of growing up with separated parents overcoming the fear of darkness as a childclimbing over the school wall to get into the final dance party though he was late thedifficulties of living on the edge with his mother being on welfare stamps at one point beingbroke in New York and having hangovers in San Francisco

On the bright side it also tells you more about how he came about interacting with thegeniuses at Google learning from his spouse about empathy for abandoned animals the joy ofseeing Twitter first emerge into a success story at SXSW seeing the emergence of hashtags andmeetups and witnessing the birth of a new global phenomenon

In sum the illuminative memoir offers insights into the behind-the-scenes lifestyles and dealsof Twitter and will particularly appeal to Twitter fans as well as aspiring entrepreneurs

ALSO READ 10 things I wish I knew when I was 20 Chetan Bhagat

6 lessons for YOU from Indias freedom movement

Madanmohan Rao

Related News Biz Stone

Related Articles

gt

Its freeTo get such articles in your inbox Enter Your email ID SUBSCRIBE gt

6 lessons for YOUfrom Indiasfreedommovement

20 life lessons Ilearned in my 20s

3 reasons to stop drinkingboiled water

New fundamentals of

3 Juices That Make YouFeel Slimmer By The Day

How to Make a 1 BHK into a15 BHK

Sponsored Content You May Like

952014 Retweet this 20 life lessons from Twitters co-founder - Rediffcom Get Ahead

httpwwwrediffcomgetaheadreportcareer-retweet-this-20-life-lessons-from-twitters-co-founder20140905htm 67

Print this article

The best swing you can take at global citizenship is to cultivate empathy says Stone

This may start with being informed in realtime about other people and events but goes beyondto understanding their viewpoints and helping them online and offline

20 When you succeed start over again

Starting over is one of the hardest leaps to make in life Security stability safety -- its scary ifnot downright irresponsible to leave these behind says Stone

But thatrsquos exactly what he did a number of times and his current venture after Twitter is calledJelly a tool for people to help one another via collaborative search and thereby build globalempathy

There is more to success than a Lamborghini he wraps up in the book

In addition to these 20 insights the book offers an engaging peek into the life of Stone -- hischallenges of growing up with separated parents overcoming the fear of darkness as a childclimbing over the school wall to get into the final dance party though he was late thedifficulties of living on the edge with his mother being on welfare stamps at one point beingbroke in New York and having hangovers in San Francisco

On the bright side it also tells you more about how he came about interacting with thegeniuses at Google learning from his spouse about empathy for abandoned animals the joy ofseeing Twitter first emerge into a success story at SXSW seeing the emergence of hashtags andmeetups and witnessing the birth of a new global phenomenon

In sum the illuminative memoir offers insights into the behind-the-scenes lifestyles and dealsof Twitter and will particularly appeal to Twitter fans as well as aspiring entrepreneurs

ALSO READ 10 things I wish I knew when I was 20 Chetan Bhagat

6 lessons for YOU from Indias freedom movement

Madanmohan Rao

Related News Biz Stone

Related Articles

gt

Its freeTo get such articles in your inbox Enter Your email ID SUBSCRIBE gt

6 lessons for YOUfrom Indiasfreedommovement

20 life lessons Ilearned in my 20s

3 reasons to stop drinkingboiled water

New fundamentals of

3 Juices That Make YouFeel Slimmer By The Day

How to Make a 1 BHK into a15 BHK

Sponsored Content You May Like