ryancarson

We spent a lot of time testing and discussing if it was the right call to make Gemini 3 our default model in Amp. We've never chosen a new model on launch day before, however we were very impressed with the performance and intelligence. There are some pretty low lows however, so it's not a perfect experience. We're monitoring it very closely.

Looking forward to see if this helps other founders.

Nick is a quality human. Well deserved.

Thank you

> when Carson and others like him give themselves no credit for their success, then there is nothing we can learn from them.

That's the whole point of the post. There aren't any quick tips, todos or silver bullets I can give you that will help you. The post isn't meant to be ultimately affirming. It's just reality as I see it.

> Summary: Hey, I run an awesome company and look at my face on this magazine.

I'm sorry that's your takeaway. I've failed to communicate to you the reason I wrote it.

Fair point - revenue is just a way to speak about size. Amongst my CEO friends, yearly revenue is used as the blunt measurement of the size of business.

I would say there's some validity to the fact that each step can build on the previous. I almost laugh when I think about how little I knew back in 2004 about the mechanics, tactics and financing of startups. However, that knowledge wasn't the limiting factor. It was the idea.

I think that was either a huge compliment, or a terrible slight, but I can't quite figure out which one :)

The reason I pity people who are passionate about power or money is because I have experienced much greater happiness in loving and being loved, unconditionally. The strongest of those loves are from my wife, my kids, my sisters and my mom and dad. None of those folks love me because of power or money.

I've had a couple things that would demonstrate me having money like a super expensive watch, a brand new Audi, a big house, etc. They were great for getting fleeting "Wow, he's got money!" glances from folks. Then I realized their like for me was related to stuff, not me. It just all seemed very vacuous.

It seems like I have some sort of in-built desire to do something that 'matters'. The only way I have to measure this is 'number of lives changed'.

Just keep doing the best you can. If you don't have what appears to be a world-changing idea right now, you still are providing value by creating jobs and offering value to your customers. I didn't know I was going to create Treehouse until it happened. Hindsight is always 20-20.

> I've heard the following advice frequently amongst non-tech entrepreneurs: aim your first exit for a million, then 10 million, then aim for the home runs.

This idea seems laughable to me. As if you can perfectly time and control those outcomes. Ha! :)