Keeping it Simple

What would you say is the most essential element of strategic thinking?

I think it is focus and simplicity. I think focus is really important. And it’s actually interesting because at each stage focus can mean different things. At that time, focus for us meant focusing on mobile, focusing on social, focusing on sort of an experience. Simplicity meant keeping it very simple. So, simplicity for us was simple V structure, simple shipping structure, simple product. And over time, even if I look at the last decade, I feel like there’s complexity that has crept into the platform and we are starting to think through is how do you simplify it further? And ultimately, if you look at all great things and great products that you engage with, there is a simplicity to them.

Well, you can even say that about the iPhone, right? The iPhone make it so simple to do all that.

Yeah. It was so counterintuitive. I remember when Steve Jobs talked about like, no keyboard like, how was it supposed to work? And I remember when I bought my first iPhone, I asked the store about return policy, I said, “Can I fully return?” Because I wasn’t sure it would actually work. And of course, I never returned it. But that was sort of the kind of incredulity we all had at that point in time. Or if you think of a more recent example of greatness is Tesla. You know, never sort of counterintuitive or anything hybrid, it was always about plug and play, kept working on it until they could get enough range and make it all work.