Reid Hoffman on Systems, Levers, and Quixotic Quests

<div> <div> <p><span data-contrast="auto">When Reid Hoffman</span> <span data-contrast="auto">creates</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">a handle for some new network or system, his usual choice is</span> <span data-contrast="auto">“</span><span data-contrast= "auto">Quixotic</span><em><span data-contrast="auto">.”</span></em> <span data-contrast="auto">At</span> <span data-contrast="auto">an early age, his love of tabletop games</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">inspired</span> <span data-contrast="auto">him to think of life as a heroic journey, where people</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">come</span> <span data-contrast="auto">together in order to accomplish</span> <span data-contrast="auto">lofty things</span><span data-contrast="auto">. This framing also prompted him to consider</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">the</span> <span data-contrast="auto">rules and systems that gu</span><span data-contrast="auto">ide society—</span><span data-contrast="auto">and how you might improve them by identifying key points of leverage. </span> <span data-ccp-props= "{"201341983":0,"335559740":276}"><br /> </span></p> </div> <div> <p><span data-contrast="auto">At</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">first</span><span data-contrast="auto">,</span> <span data-contrast="auto">he thought he’d</span> <span data-contrast="auto">become an academic and</span> <span data-contrast="auto">work with</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">ideas as</span> <span data-contrast="auto">one</span> <span data-contrast="auto">of those</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">Archimedean</span> <span data-contrast= "auto">lever</span><span data-contrast= "auto">s</span><span data-contrast="auto">. But he</span> <span data-contrast="auto">end</span><span data-contrast="auto">ed up focusing on technology instead</span><span data-contrast= "auto">, helping to</span> <span data-contrast="auto">build PayPal, LinkedIn, and</span> <span data-contrast="auto">now many other</span> <span data-contrast="auto">ventures</span> <span data-contrast="auto">as an invest