19 pieces of great advice from top tech execs to help you win in work and life

Advertisement

IBM Chairwoman and CEO Ginni Rometty: "Be first and be lonely."

IBM Chairwoman and CEO Ginni Rometty: "Be first and be lonely."

Source.

Advertisement

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick: "Stand by your principles and be comfortable with confrontation. So few people are, so when the people with the red tape come, it becomes a negotiation."

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick: "Stand by your principles and be comfortable with confrontation. So few people are, so when the people with the red tape come, it becomes a negotiation."

Source.

Advertisement

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough."

Source.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma: "Today is cruel. Tomorrow is crueler. And the day after tomorrow is beautiful."

Alibaba founder Jack Ma: "Today is cruel. Tomorrow is crueler. And the day after tomorrow is beautiful."

Source.

Advertisement

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel: "There are still many large white spaces on the map of human knowledge. You can go discover them. So do it. Get out there and fill in the blank spaces. Every single moment is a possibility to go to these new places and explore them."

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel: "There are still many large white spaces on the map of human knowledge. You can go discover them. So do it. Get out there and fill in the blank spaces. Every single moment is a possibility to go to these new places and explore them."

Source.

Apple cofounder Steve Jobs: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Apple cofounder Steve Jobs: "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Source.

Advertisement

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer: "I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough."

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer: "I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough."

Source.

Google CEO Larry Page: "What is the one-sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!"

Google CEO Larry Page: "What is the one-sentence summary of how you change the world? Always work hard on something uncomfortably exciting!"

Source.

Advertisement

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: "I strongly believe that missionaries make better products. They care more. For a missionary, it's not just about the business. There has to be a business, and the business has to make sense, but that's not why you do it. You do it because you have something meaningful that motivates you."

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: "I strongly believe that missionaries make better products. They care more. For a missionary, it's not just about the business. There has to be a business, and the business has to make sense, but that's not why you do it. You do it because you have something meaningful that motivates you."

Source.

Jony Ive, Apple's SVP of design: "The memory of how we work will endure beyond the products of our work."

Jony Ive, Apple's SVP of design: "The memory of how we work will endure beyond the products of our work."

Source.

Advertisement

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates: "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates: "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."

Source.

Behance cofounder and early Uber investor Scott Belsky: "It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen."

Behance cofounder and early Uber investor Scott Belsky: "It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen."

Source.

Advertisement

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff: "The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world."

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff: "The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world."

Source.

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk: “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk: “Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”

Source.

Advertisement

Dropbox co-founder Drew Houston: "Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once."

Dropbox co-founder Drew Houston: "Don't worry about failure; you only have to be right once."

Source.

Dell CEO Michael Dell: "You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary, or even a college graduate for that matter, to be successful. You just need framework and a dream.”

Dell CEO Michael Dell: "You don’t need to be a genius or a visionary, or even a college graduate for that matter, to be successful. You just need framework and a dream.”

Source.

Advertisement

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings: "But as an entrepreneur you have to feel like you can jump out of an airplane because you’re confident that you’ll catch a bird flying by. It’s an act of stupidity, and most entrepreneurs go splat because the bird doesn’t come by, but a few times it does. "

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings: "But as an entrepreneur you have to feel like you can jump out of an airplane because you’re confident that you’ll catch a bird flying by. It’s an act of stupidity, and most entrepreneurs go splat because the bird doesn’t come by, but a few times it does. "

Source.

Former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison: "When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you you’re nuts."

Former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison: "When you innovate, you’ve got to be prepared for everyone telling you you’re nuts."

Source.

Advertisement

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

Source.