Welcome to Isla’s I/O Note #1
This is where I log my inputs and outputs — collecting what I learn, refining my thoughts, and sharing insights along the way.
The Paradox of Ambition
The Paradox of Ambition
We’re taught that harder goals are harder to achieve. But in reality, bigger goals often make it easier to find your place in the Valley—because the most ambitious ideas tend to attract the best people and the most energy.
The Cycle of Ambition
The more ambition you have → the more your succeed → the higher your ambitions becomes.
Why Bold Ambitions Work Highly ambitious projects—especially those that aim to “improve the world”—attract disproportionate support.
They can’t be: Trivial, Evil
They should be: Distinct, Innovative, Inspiring
Think Elon Musk: his projects are wildly ambitious, yet they gather immense capital, talent, and attention. That’s not despite their ambition—but because of it.
What Makes Ambition Work
- Attracts top talent
- Draws investors and media
- Easier to remember, share, and support
- Ambition is non-rivalrous and positive-sum—it compounds with others’ ambition
Real Case: Stripe
Stripe’s co-founder Patrick Collison uses two powerful filters when evaluating ideas:
- “Is this the most ambitious plan you could come up with?”
- “What would you propose if you had unlimited resources?”
This is not hypothetical. Stripe found that solving larger problems was often more tractable, simply because they attracted the strongest people to solve them.
Raising Societal Ambition
It costs little to encourage young people to aim higher, but the returns—personally and collectively—can be enormous.
Ambition is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When it’s modeled, it spreads.