{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Craftsmith","title":"Letter to Bill Gurley: Five Fascinations","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1379,"description":"\"I couldn't discover something that got me excited. Slowly, I've come around to an idea that I made up. It's not a career that other people have.\" - Bill Gurley to Tim Ferriss\nBill Gurley's first principle is \"find your passion.\" But how did Bill actually find his? He didn't have one passion - he had five fascinations pulling in different directions. A love affair with technology, a gambling bug, a deep curiosity about markets, a need to write, and a desire for wealth. Most people would pick one. Bill held all five, with no idea how they'd fit together - and kept building until they did.\nThis is a Craftsmith Letter, an audio letter to a living craftsperson.\nIn this letter:\nHow growing up on a street of NASA scientists in Dickinson, Texas shaped how Bill learned to think\nThe moment his sister's stock options at Compaq showed him a different kind of wealth\nWhy Bill was \"surprisingly bored\" at one of the most exciting companies in tech\nThe Palm Pilot move: how he spammed 350 of the most powerful people in tech with his newsletter\nFrank Quattrone's question that changed everything: \"What is your dream job?\"\nThe 10:30 PM walk on the 36th floor of Park Avenue Plaza - and the question he asked himself\nWhat Bill told Tim Ferriss that reveals the pattern of his entire career: \"I made it up. It's not a career that other people have.\"\nWhy boredom isn't ingratitude - it's data about which fascinations aren't being served\n\nChapters:\nReferences:\nRunnin' Down a Dream by Bill Gurley\nBill Gurley's UT Austin talk - the original \"Runnin' Down a Dream\" speech\nAbove the Crowd - Bill's blog\n\nSource conversations referenced in this letter:\nBill Gurley on Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin - where Bill discusses permission and disinhibition\nBill Gurley on The Tim Ferriss Show #840 - where Bill reveals \"I made it up\"\n\nHelp deliver this letter:\nIf you think Bill should hear this, send him this episode:\n@bgurley on X\nBill Gurley on LinkedIn\n\nFollow Craftsmith:\nApple Podcasts\nSpotify\nYouTube...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/mnil4TEdy5rGEUo6IuvhxUEr4GSXz8Qm-4imQkoJ9ho/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jNjgy/MzFmZGZjNWE5NjQy/ZjYwNjU3ZTNjOTJj/MTdhMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}