CEO Ben Silbermann sparked my pinterest
Waking up at 6am on a Friday can be rough, but today was different. I woke up invigorated and energized because I was hosting Ben Silbermann, the billionaire CEO of Pinterest.
Pinterest is a content sharing service that allows members to “pin” images, videos and other objects to their pinboard. It is valued at $11 billion and has over 100 million active users worldwide.
Here are the top 5 lessons I learned from talking with Ben:
1) Take risks in your 20’s
Now is the time to act. Life gets more complicatied… relationships, kids, etc. These responsabilities make taking risks more risky. Take advantage of having the power to dive head-first into projects or initiatives that revitalize you and give it all you’ve got. Worst case scenario? It fails, you learn, you become stronger.
2) Enjoy the journey and don’t conform
Ben mentioned that most of his family became doctors and had that plan all along. He, however, pursued a degree in political science and went on to lead a multi-billion dollar digital service with no prior knowledge of coding. It’s ok to change your plans and go with the flow. You can learn things along the way. Life is about the journey, not the destination. Enjoy the ride.
3) Keep learning and expect change
Learning should never stop. If you have always wanted to code, play the guitar, speak french, better understand medieval history, or do martial arts, there is no reason why you shouldn’t start now. As Ben put it, saying “I loved social studies when I was 10 years old, so I should only pursue careers that are in that field post-grad” sounds odd. Life will force you to pivot or change your plans, but that only adds to the scope of your learning.
4) Think 10x
This is a lesson I learned from working at Google, but one that Ben exemplifies perfectly. He told me that he used to dream about going to another country and seeing complete strangers benefiting form a product he made. 50% of pinterest users are now international. Companies like Google and Pinterest has improved peoples lives around the world, and that is all thanks to the global 10x vision imposed by the management teams from the beginning.
5) When life gives you lemons, add them to your Pin Board
The basis of Pinterest is collecting. Ben loved collecting things as a kid and transfered that passion into a company. Collecting can apply to many things: pictures, memories, items, and ideas. It’s important to never stop collecting. Collect what’s important in life. Collect the memories of your family. Collect the connections with loved ones around you. Collect ideas when collaborating with others. There’s a beauty in collecting, and Ben has helped show that to the world.
