Not So Lazy & Entitled Millennials: David Perell

Author: Sar Haribhakti (interviewing David Perell) URL: https://www.perell.com/blog/sar-interview One-line: A wide-ranging interview with Perell on learning, writing, the “second brain,” Naked Brands, and the case for optimistic science fiction as fuel for innovation.

Key claims

Education is the best kind of marketing. Companies that create information-rich, entertaining content earn attention, generate trust, and build “an impenetrable network.”
Naked Brands are founded by influencers, built on transparency, and defined “not by symbols, logos, or television advertisements, but by the authenticity of their personalities.” For the first time athletes, politicians, and entertainers reach audiences directly — LeBron has 37M Instagram followers to ESPN’s 10M; Beyoncé 114M to MTV’s 9M.
Perell runs a “digital model of his brain.” He saves all knowledge in Evernote so he never has to remember anything — “my goal is to forget as much as possible” (Building a Second Brain).
Master core principles first. “Most knowledge is a combination of the core principles in an area.” Career advice from Keith Rabois: “Aim to become not the best at what you do but ‘the only one’ who does what you do.”
We’re in an era of “innovation starvation.” Most science fiction is dystopian, which hurts growth: “Innovation is more likely when people are given inspiring visions of potential futures.” We need hope and enthusiasm (Science Fiction, Historical Futurism).
Read old things. “Time is the best measure of quality.” He invokes Nassim Taleb’s Via Negativa — improve by removal: “distill, distill, and keep distilling. What you ignore is every bit as important as what you know.”

“I want to live a life where I don’t have to remember anything. Seriously. That’s my goal — to forget as much as possible.”

“To innovate, we need to be inspired to do so. Innovation is more likely when people are given inspiring visions of potential futures.”

“Never read a book that is not a year old.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Most people try to improve by addition. I say do the opposite. Remove things.” (on Nassim Taleb’s Via Negativa)

David Perell / Sar Haribhakti — interviewee and interviewer.
Naked Brands — the framework Perell explains here; see the series (Naked Brands- The Future of Basketball, Morgan Housel- Naked Brands Interview Series).
Building a Second Brain — the Evernote “digital brain” system that powers his output.
Science Fiction / Historical Futurism — the optimism-as-innovation-fuel argument.
Keith Rabois — the “be the only one” career maxim.