What do I mean by politics? I mean people advancing their careers or agendas by means other than merit and contribution. There may be other types of … - Ben Horowitz

If you are going to eat shit, don’t nibble.

the most robust, sustainable cultures are those based on action, not words; an alignment of personality and strategy; an honest awareness and assessment of the norms imbibed on the first day of work by new — not veteran — employees grasping at what it will take to make it; an openness to including outside talent and perspectives; a commitment to explicit ethics and principled virtues that stand out and have meaning; and, not least, a willingness to come up with “shocking rules” within an organization that indelibly and inescapably prompt others to ask, “Why?

No technology startup has a long shelf life. Even the best ideas become terrible ideas after a certain age.