Arrogance is the Leading Indicator to Failure in Startups and Life

I have probably met thousands, if not tens of thousands of startup founders all over the world. And invested in hundreds. I’ve met all kinds, from all over the world, of every denomination and nationality. You have the odd crook, idiot or liar, but almost universally these were smart, driven and admirable human beings. 

Yet the ones that stand out to me in a truly negative way are the arrogant ones. The ones who claim know everything, who preen of superiority. These guys, and yes they are almost always guys, just seem insufferable and hard to be around with. It’s a big red flag for me. It means they won’t take feedback from the market, it means people will not want to work with them or even want to help them.

I vividly remember meeting one of them at one of the many accelerators I mentor at in early 2023. I had to walk away after 10 minutes, he was so obnoxious. I’m used to young obnoxious founders, who have the excuse of youth and who just don’t know any better. But this was a 35+ year old male who should just know better. I walked away with the thought: “I want nothing to do with this person and I will never work or even attempt to help them” as nice as his colleagues were. And I really like to think I do want to help people as it’s my life mission to positively impact 10 million people while I am alive. But this was a bridge too far for me. 

So to my point, arrogance is dangerous. You turn off your brain from information from the outside, and think you know more than you really do. Seems risky when the world around you is changing so quickly. This complexity makes it hard to stay on top of everything. I’ve stated the term “Hubris” before, defined as “excessive pride or self confidence.” The ancient Greeks defined this as a character flaw capable of provoking the wrath of the gods. 

 And there is something to this as arrogance does turn people against you unnecessarily. Not that they would actively plot against you, unless you are a total jerk. But they would be much more hesitant to offer help. And in this world, no one goes it alone. Success is almost always alongside others. If you are a founder or leader with a bad attitude, the best people will not choose to work with you. 

I will make the last point and know as a Venture Capitalist writing this, it’s like the “pot calling the kettle black.” Venture capital is an industry notorious for being filled with awful, obnoxious and arrogant people, and why most founders don’t like VCs. I don’t blame them & I get it. Learn from them. Who wants to be disliked if you can avoid it. 

What I will say to these hubristic founders is to paraphrase something I saw on Twitter, “You can only have Michael Jordan’s bad attitude, if you have Michael Jordan’s skills and track record.”