Secrets of Success From the Co-founder of Twitter: Things a Little Bird Told MeBy Biz StoneWritten much like a jotted down memoir, I enjoyed how Stone conveys raw ideas, ignoring the sporadic wording and punctuation errors because they are evidence of what made Twitter a success: getting it out there and letting your readers feedback mistakes for your review.There are two philosophies that Stone relays with stories that I’d like to explore: one being that opportunity can be manufactured; and two that great work comes from abandoning a linear way of thinking.
Stone made the decision to exit College during an internship at Little, Brown, upon receiving an on-the-spot job offer from the art director after he slipped his jacket design for a book into the selection pieces for their New York based head office. He recalls how accepting the job offer provided an opportunity for him to skip to where he wanted to be without having to finish studying and racking up debt.That is a fundamental shift of the linear and traditional belief that “if I work hard I will be successful”. Another example is his forming of a Lacrosse team at school because there was no team, and he figured if he wasn’t as good as others at the established sports he would create something that everyone started from the same base with.
We now start to blend into the second point: that great work comes from abandoning a linear way of thinking.At first it wasn’t obvious to me but these two philosophies are actually inextricable concomitants, as in: opportunity can be manufactured by abandoning a linear way of thinking. Stone’s raw philosophies and everyday practical examples lead you through an extraordinary true life story that resulted in spectacular nonlinear advances.
