How VCs get inadvertently biased

At dinner recently with a VC friend.

VC: I think VCs only judge companies based on how lucrative they are likely to be.  I don't think any VCs actually discount a pitch because it is coming from a woman or minority.  When you were pitching, did you think anyone judged you on anything other than your business?

Me: Several VCs said to me, "This is the first time I'm meeting you, so it will be very tough for me to feel comfortable writing a check for someone I have never met before." 

VC: Ok, that happens.

Me: How many black or Hispanic entrepreneurs are those VCs regularly spending time with?  Probably very few.  So the people they have known for years and feel comfortable backing are going to be other men in their circle.  That is how the bias plays out, even when the VC is trying to stay unbiased.

browser joke

I went to a fancy Moroccan restaurant with several people.  One of them was wearing an amazing black frilly shirt, and has cool buzzed hair that's dyed pink.

Her: "My sneakers light up.  I wear them when biking, and it keeps cars further back from me."

Me: [leaning over to look under the table] "Wow, maybe I'll get shoes like that.  I bike every day."

Her: "Oh man, I'm wearing sneakers, and this is such a nice restaurant!"

Me: [sitting upright and gesturing to her shirt] "That's okay, you look great above the fold."

I was so proud of this joke, but only one person at the table laughed.  So I'm repeating it here.

Fire and ice

As seen on the 92 bridge today.  Aff and I felt the blast of heat as we drove past.  There were cop cars but they just watched everyone drive past.

Local ice cream with homemade strawberry jam!  

My avatar.

then vs now, disney & sherlock

I read a book about Walt Disney.  In the 1930s and 1940s, people were much more honest in their quotes to journalists.  During the press for opening weekends, he said things like, "We were really rushed on this project." or "This isn't quite as good as Snow White, but it's pretty good." and "I hope people will enjoy it -- we'll find out next week!"

Nowadays people have to say hyperboles like, "We are doing things never before done in the history of television." and "This is the best script I've written in my career."  Then you watch the episode (Sherlock season 4 episode 3), and it's a tame episode that's just like other episodes.

friendship, dissected

Today I was talking to Azer.

Me: "Sometimes I end up in a friendship that makes me unhappy.  It would feel really awkward to explicitly tell the person I don't want to be friends any more.  But ghosting or always saying I'm busy makes me feel guilty for a long time."

Azer: "I had a friend tell me that the friendship wasn't working for her.  She said that she didn't want to invest more time in it.  I really respected the way she was honest about it."

Me: "Wow, really?  Was it someone you dated?  Did you ever run into her again?"

Azer: "Purely platonic friend. I did run into her later, and it was a bit awkward but basically fine."

Me: "I'm afraid I'd run into them again.  I've ended a couple friendships and then it's so awkward when mutual friends want to hang out together."

Azer: "Cascade delete is always tough."

Me: [lol]

Azer: "Maybe you need to have a stronger filter, to prevent from getting far into these friendships.  Treat it like interviewing for work.  If you were hiring for your startup, would you have hired any of the people?"

Me: "Oh God, no.  One of them invited me to lunch with her fiance the third time we met, and then got into a shouting match with him and threatened to break up with him at that lunch.  I felt so uncomfortable.  Another person met me and spoke to me for ten minutes and then went home and added me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, my blog, and emailed me.  My inbox had eight emails in a row with his name, and it creeped me out.  A third person would go into these multi-day bouts of self-criticism after every bad date, and it was so draining for me to hear about."

Azer: "If this stuff happened after the first or third time you hung out, why did you ever hang out with them again?"

Me: "Sometimes I did stop, but then I'd run into them after a couple years, and they'd feel familiar.  I'd forget that I had previously been bothered."

Azer: "Familiarity does have that effect.  There was this one guy I worked with, Joe, who I hated.  I ran into him after four years, and talked to him for 30 minutes even though I hated him.  He felt familiar.  But you should have higher standards for friends than for who you hire at work.  I do."

Me: "You do?  I have very high standards for work hiring decisions, but I feel like I should be more supportive of friends.  Everyone goes through tough times and does weird stuff.  I feel like I should be understanding."

Azer: "Sometimes I have to work with people that I wouldn't want to be friends with.  But if I'm going to actively make someone my friend, there's a higher bar."

Me: "Wow."  [mind blown]

Azer: "You fire people at work, right?  You don't ghost, or end things by exploding.  You explain the situation calmly."

Me: "Yes, of course."

Azer: "You already know how to filter and fire at work.  Just apply this to friends."