“People ask me, ‘How can I get our employees to be passionate about the company?’ Wrong question. Passion for our employer, manager, current job? Irrelevant. Passion for our profession and the kind of work we do? Crucial. If I own company FOO, I don’t need employees with a passion for FOO. I want those with a passion for the work they’re doing. The company should behave just like a good user interface — support people in doing what they’re trying to do, and stay the hell out of their way. Applying the employer-as-UI model, the best company is one in which the employees are so engaged in their work that the company fades into the background.”

“Startups have been multiplying like rabbits over the past three years. Due to the added competition, many startups are beginning to narrow their focus to a much smaller demographic…. Becoming a master of any of the smaller niches has many great advantages, such as less competition, loyal readership, and better focus. All marketers exploit a basic positioning principle that states that it is better to be first than to be better. It is clearly too late to be the first social network, or bookmarking service, or video sharing startup. Consequently, the Web 2.0 era demands that startups put intense focus on their niche regardless of the smaller demographics.”