Injil Muhammad - Highlights

You ever meet someone and your like: “Oh, they’re going to be very important some day, and I’m just glad I got to meet them before the whole world knows who they are?”

That’s kinda how I felt talking to Injil.

In my experience, people are either 1) highly technical or 2) highly personable. Injil studied applied mathematics at Harvard, but could shoot the shit at a sales-bro happy hour.

I don’t think people know how rare that is. Here’s a little background on him:

I honestly didn’t even ask how old he is lol. But before HBS, Injil was living in the greatest city on earth (NYC) running the Goldman Sachs grind. It’s funny, cause it seems like there are two competing worlds here: the startup life vs HBS, Goldman, and more traditional paths that 80% of his peers will take.

About 18 months ago he started a company called Buddle. Which he started with zero experience. It’s been an incredible journey so far… until he realized freedom has its own trap. With too much time, it’s easy to confuse motion for progress.

So he did something most wouldn’t. He went back to school.

There’s this trope in the startup world that school is stupid.

“The only way to learn how to build a company is by doing it”.

While there’s a lot of truth in that, you’d be an idiot to completely write off an institution like HBS and say: “it can’t teach me anything”

Harvard gave him more deadlines, but also a ton of clarity. When your schedule looks like an anxiety inducing wrecking ball, your focus becomes a helluva lot sharper.

Not to mention the brilliant people, resources, professors, and the 100 other cool things about going to HBS.

Between classes, he still runs Buddle.

Between lectures, he’s in debates with Larry Summers about trade policy.

Around him: classmates building startups in biotech, HVAC, and AI. It forced him to zoom out - to think about the world beyond his business. Pretty cool shit.

1. Risk is a funny thing

I asked him a question like: “if you failed, what would be the cause of your downfall?”
His answer was pretty dope and led us to talk about risk in general.

His response: Let’s take the worst worst worst case scenario.

The company fails, he gets kicked out of HBS, worst case scenario: move back in with parents until the next step is figured out.

I think how people think about risk is so dumb.

We’re hard wired to think everything is existential.

Any wrong move and were completely fucked. That’s just wrong.

The downside for 90% of people isn’t inevitable doom. It’s going back with your parents while you regroup and prep for the next swing.

It’s obvious he thinks the same way I do about this - which is why Buddle is going to win.

2) Packed schedule can be a good thing

When time is scarce, you’re forced to prioritize ruthlessly. “Being formally busier made me more precise.”

3) Zoom out often.

Long term problems aren’t solved while staring at a spreadsheet. Make time to think in decades, not days.

4) Proximity is the strategy

Sit next to smarter people. Put yourself in intellectually uncomfortable situations. If you’re surrounded by intellectually curious people, you’ll inevitably become more intellectually curious. If you’re surrounded by losers, well…

5) Raise your floor

Going to HBS did a few things for Injil: put him around some of the smartest builders in the world, and second: raised his ground floor.

A lot of people don’t think about this. But when you play out the worst case scenario, what does that look like? I can guarantee it looks different for a graduate of HBS than it does for a high school drop out.

If you want to your career to be more defensible, acquire skills, get a degree, build something cool. All these things will make you more attractive in the workplace.

Take care of your base needs before anything else.

I really liked Injil. An incredible guy who’s a unique combo of highly intellectual and technical, but also highly personable.

If you’re reading this now, you’re lucky. Cause in 10 years you’re going to hear his name on some Forbes list and think: “oh shittttttttt I remember that guy from Jordan’s newsletter”

Cheers,

hugs and kisses

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Till next time,