The Strength of Being Misunderstood

Notes from The Strength of Being Misunderstood by Sam Altman. It’s a short post, but one that likely resonates with you if you’ve ever started a company, and/or worked for an early-stge startup.

...the key observation is that as long as you are right, being misunderstood by most people is a strength, not a weakness. You and a small group of rebels get the space to solve an important problem that might otherwise not get solved.

This was my struggle for a while. For too long — into my 30s — I cared too much about what people thought. While it didn’t set me back on any personal or professional journeys, it distracted me. The fear of being misunderstood capture more of my thoughts than it should’ve.