Alfred Lin's videos and podcasts
This week
At a past talk, Satya Nadella shared that technologists have a substantial pre-existing condition called NIH (Not Invented Here).
Earlier this month
We're excited to partner with Josiah, @jemima_meyer, and the Healthleap team. Their platform identifies patients who would have otherwise missed critical treatment, and ensures they get it. They're screening 600,000+ patients a year across 50+ hospitals, focusing first on malnutrition but with a platform that will extend to other use cases in the future.
In the early days of company formation, friends and family are encouraging. Everyone you meet has only constructive advice for you as you start your journey. Other companies in your industry, big or small, cheer you on as you get started because you validate the industry. Everyone smiles at a baby or a young child.
Many are familiar with the Stockdale Paradox from Good to Great, which combines unwavering faith that you will prevail (fire) with the discipline to confront the brutal facts of present reality (ice).
September 2026
I typically give two examples when people ask me which founders embody both fire and ice:
At Zappos, we worked hard to ensure we were synonymous with “WOW” service. The lessons I most regularly remind founders of:
.@gilbert and @djrosent recently shared the story of Home Depot on @AcquiredFM, which is another masterclass on building a customer obsessed culture. Home Depot has had the highest total stock return since IPO in modern U.S. market history, even more than others like Apple or Microsoft.
We first met Max and team when they were still Indigo Fair, and pitching a way to revolutionize the way retailers shop for their stores. Wholesale hasn't meaningfully changed in a century, and they offered a better way for retailers to buy than traveling to trade shows and cold-calling reps.
One of the most important pushes a strong Board can make is helping you evaluate your team and organization.
It takes work for founders to get candid feedback from their team members, given there is an asymmetric power dynamic. How to overcome that dynamic:
Truly a legend. One of my favorite early interactions with him was at a Zappos board meeting when we were presenting our new core values. He listened carefully, ripped out a half sheet of paper from his notepad, and scribbled with a fountain pen: Profit = POWER. He slipped the paper across the table right before leaving the meeting. Mic drop.