Sequoia Legend Michael Moritz: Steve Jobs, Being an Outsider, and Investing in the Age of AI

在一次广泛的对话中，这位发言者在其书籍反思的启发下，深入探讨了他的个人历史、职业哲学以及对世界的观察。他首先指出，撰写家族史是一份“意想不到的礼物”，让他明白了“我是谁，以及我为什么会变成现在的样子”。他强调了父母在成长期留下的不可磨灭的“印记”，塑造了伴随一个人一生的“天使和恶魔”。 他作为纳粹德国犹太难民的孩子在威尔士的成长经历，灌输了他“动力和毅力”。他的父母虽然从未进过集中营，但作为难民“幸存下来”，这导致他们对他人动机有着强烈的警惕和怀疑需求。他指出，这种生存本能并非通过故事传承——他的父母很少谈论过去——而是通过他们的日常行为和对大祸临头的预感。他对比了他的两位祖父：他的祖父是一名公务员，相信国家的持久性，因此直到为时已晚才离开德国，最终在大屠杀中遇难。他的外祖父则是一个“更懂得世故”且富有创业精神的牛贩，在战争爆发前72小时逃离。他分享说，从中得到的教训是必须拥有一个“藏身之处”，一个在情况变得太糟时可以去的地方，他形象地比喻道：“护照再多也不嫌多。” 反思当前的全球局势，他认为这对“少数族裔来说是一个不安的地方”，并列举了美国和欧洲各种群体之间的不安全感。他虽然接受反犹主义是常态，但也警告经济困境会助长独裁冲动。尽管如此，他仍抱持一些乐观态度，指出了历史性地趋向中间路线，以及新技术的潜力，尽管他也承认互联网在放大极端方面所扮演的角色。 在职业上，他解释了他调查一个人前14年的方法，这种技术是在观察了李·艾科卡（Lee Iacocca）因其意大利移民之子的童年经历而产生的“局外人身份”后完善的。他将这种“局外人能量”视为强大的驱动力，但指出其强度可能会随着时间的推移而减弱，尽管“内在本质不会改变”。他从对话中收集“点滴”来勾勒一个人的综合画像，常常会问他们会做一件什么不同的事情，这个问题曾让一位受访者因童年时的过失而感动落泪。对他自己而言，他希望当初能以不同的方式处理与父母的互动，他将早期的冲突归因于追求独立的自然冲动、傲慢以及对他们经历的缺乏理解。 他讲述了安娜（Anna）的故事，她是一位罗马天主教保姆，与她的丈夫在纳粹德国勇敢地庇护了他的祖父母和父亲，体现了“正义者之一”，拥有坚定不移的“道德指南针”。这促使他思考新冠疫情期间的“抵抗者、沉默者和通敌者”，最终得出结论，真正的抵抗者非常罕见。 他的职业生涯发生了转折，当时《每日电讯报》（Daily Telegraph）编辑比尔·迪兹（Bill Deeds）建议他去美国，从而在《时代》杂志（Time magazine）获得了他的第一个重大突破。与史蒂夫·乔布斯（Steve Jobs）之间的一次“痛苦”经历是源于《时代》杂志的一篇恶意报道，导致两人关系破裂。他并非“敬畏”乔布斯，而是尊重和钦佩他，同时也意识到他“阴暗的一面”。他指出，“偏执狂”（完全的痴迷）在创造任何有价值的事物中都扮演着重要角色，并引用了弗兰克·奥尔巴赫（Frank Auerbach）为例，这位艺术家几乎将一生都奉献给了其艺术。他认为，偏执狂的主要代价通常是人际关系。 他进入红杉资本（Sequoia）从事风险投资的方式非同寻常，因为他缺乏技术背景。红杉资本的创始人唐·瓦伦丁（Don Valentine）冒着风险雇用他，相信观察和“生存本能”胜过正规培训。他反思说，今天的风险投资业务远比他早期复杂，丰富的信息和众多的参与者使得个人更难建立密切关系。当他接管红杉资本时，他的主要目标是“不搞砸”，并确保对投资者，特别是对非营利组织负责。他从与道格（Doug）的合作中学会了“宽容”，并观察到亚历克斯·弗格森（Alex Ferguson）在理解和支持个体球员方面的技巧。 他坚信历史的“伟人理论”，并引用埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）作为当代典范，其成就“超乎想象”。关于人工智能，他“比其他人更乐观”，承认潜在的颠覆，但相信它创造的就业机会将多于其摧毁的，并引用了历史先例，其中技术进步最终导致了整体就业增长。 他将“非凡的写作”定义为听到“作者独特的声音”，这通过接触自己的内心感受和声音来实现。他与约瑟夫·坎贝尔（Joseph Campbell）的“一生中最大的荣幸是成为你自己”这一观点产生共鸣，尽管他觉得自己尚未完全实现，常常“过于倾向于……达到外界的压力或期望”。他将此归因于他的母亲，她“总是觉得灾难随时可能发生”，甚至在他的成功中也能挑出毛病。退出红杉资本使他能够追求多样化的兴趣，如写作、慈善事业以及创办《旧金山标准报》（San Francisco Standard），一家旨在证明本地新闻可以盈利并提供平衡声音的媒体公司。 最终分析，他认为两件事很重要：“与你关心的人的关系”和“努力让事情比原来好一点点”。他总结说，别人为他做的最善良的事情就是嫁给他，而他从妻子那里学会了“宽容”。

In a wide-ranging conversation, the speaker delves into his personal history, professional philosophy, and observations on the world, prompted by reflections on his book. He begins by noting that writing his family's history was an "unexpected gift," allowing him to understand "who I am and why I became whatever it is that I've become." He highlights the indelible "imprint" parents leave during formative years, shaping both "angels and demons" that stay with an individual for life. His upbringing as a child of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany in Wales instilled a "drive and grit." His parents, though never in camps, "survived" as refugees, leading to a profound need to be vigilant and suspicious of others' motives. This survival instinct, he notes, wasn't conveyed through stories – his parents rarely spoke of the past – but through their daily behavior and sense of impending doom. He contrasts his grandfathers: his paternal grandfather, a civil servant, believed in the state's endurance and delayed leaving Germany until it was too late, perishing in the Holocaust. His maternal grandfather, a "more streetwise" and entrepreneurial cattle trader, escaped 72 hours before war broke out. The lesson learned from this, he shares, is the necessity of having a "bolt hole," a place to go if things get too hot, metaphorically saying, "you can never have enough passports." Reflecting on the current global state, he finds it an "uncomfortable place for minorities," citing insecurity among various groups in the US and Europe. While he accepts anti-Semitism as a constant, he warns of economic distress fueling authoritarian impulses. Despite this, he holds some optimism, noting historical pushes to the center and the potential for new technologies, though he acknowledges the internet's role in amplifying extremes. Professionally, he explains his method of investigating a person's first 14 years, a technique refined after observing Lee Iacocca's outsider identity stemming from his childhood as the son of Italian immigrants. He views this "outsider energy" as a powerful driver but notes that its intensity may diminish over time, though the "inner being doesn't change." He collects "dots" from conversations to form a composite portrait of an individual, often asking what one thing they would do differently, a question that once moved an interviewee to tears over a childhood transgression. For himself, he wishes he had handled interactions with his parents differently, attributing early conflicts to a natural drive for independence, arrogance, and a lack of understanding of their experiences. He recounts the story of Anna, a Roman Catholic nanny who, with her husband, bravely sheltered his grandparents and father in Nazi Germany, embodying "one of the righteous" who possessed an unyielding "ethical compass." This led him to ponder the "resistors, the silent, and the collabos" during the COVID pandemic, concluding that true resistors are very rare. His career took a turn when Bill Deeds, editor of the Daily Telegraph, advised him to go to America, leading to his first big break at Time magazine. A "painful" episode with Steve Jobs resulted from a malicious Time profile, severing their relationship. He was not "in awe" of Jobs, respecting and admiring him while being aware of his "darker shades." He notes the role of "monomania" – complete obsession – in creating anything of value, citing Frank Auerbach, an artist who dedicated his life almost entirely to his craft. The primary cost of monomania, he believes, is typically relationships. His entry into venture capital at Sequoia was unconventional, as he lacked a technical background. Don Valentine, Sequoia's founder, took a risk on him, believing in observation and a "survivalist instinct" over formal training. He reflects that today's venture business is far more complex than in his early days, with abundant information and numerous players making it harder for individuals to build close relationships. As he took over Sequoia, his main goal was "not to screw it up" and to ensure accountability to investors, particularly non-profits. He learned "tolerance" from his partnership with Doug and observed Alex Ferguson's skill in understanding and supporting individual players. He firmly believes in the "great person theory" of history, citing Elon Musk as a contemporary exemplar whose achievements are "beyond comprehension." Regarding AI, he is "more hopeful than others," acknowledging potential disruption but believing it will create more jobs than it destroys, citing historical precedents where technological advancements ultimately led to overall employment growth. He defines "extraordinary writing" as hearing the "unmistakable voice of the author," achieved by being in touch with one's inner feelings and voice. He resonates with Joseph Campbell's idea that "the privilege of a lifetime is becoming who you are," though he feels he hasn't fully achieved it, often being "too prone to... live up to the pressures or expectations from the outside." He attributes this to his mother, who "always felt that disaster was always around the corner" and found fault even in his successes. Stepping back from Sequoia allowed him to pursue diverse interests like writing, philanthropy, and launching the San Francisco Standard, a media business aiming to show local journalism can be profitable and provide a balanced voice. In the final analysis, he believes two things matter: "relationships with the people that you care about" and "trying to leave things a little better... than they were." The kindest thing anyone has ever done for him, he concludes, is marrying him, and from his wife, he has learned "tolerance."