Why moving faster matters more than you
You are living in a time of remarkable transition. And you are running out of time.
History offers only a handful of technological revolutions occurring in 20-year windows. We're in one now—a period where every industry will be transformed by AI and other innovations. It's not just an opportunity; it's a privilege to witness and build during this moment.
Problem is, most founders squander these rare and brilliant windows—either through excessive caution or fatal slowness.
Speed and calculated risk-taking have always been startup advantages. But what's changed is the definition of "fast" itself. A sprint for 30 years ago is something of a crawl today.
I. Get Out of Your Own Way
I recently heard Robert Rodriguez on Lex Fridman's podcast sharing a brilliant mental model about creative blockage. He put wonderfully how we all face a daily choice: allow our creative self to flow through our conscious, rational mind—or let self-doubt block the pipe stream.
“If it’s not coming out, it’s because I’m blocking it... if I were to say, ‘Wow, I just wrote 10 cards. I don’t know if I can write more. How did I do that?’ You just shut the pipe because your ego got in the way. You just clogged it because it gets pissed off that you think it’s you. It’s not you. It’s like, ‘Dude, just open up. Let me through, pick up the fucking pen.’” - Robert Rodriguez
Rodriguez's insight cuts deep: we must silence the voice of procrastination and simply sit down and do the work. It's about bypassing our overthinking mind and connecting to the part of us that's always ready to act. Too often, we talk ourselves out of creating the very things that would build the world you want to see. You have to get out of your own way.
This principle extends beyond art to every startup and technology venture. AI demonstrates this perfectly—it doesn't fear judgment of its work; it simply initiates the iterative process and creates something novel. AI doesn't procrastinate or self-sabotage because it doesn't question its worthiness.
In today's AI-accelerated landscape, humans must become faster, more relentlessly focused, clearer in identifying true value, and more fearless than ever before.
Don't wait—act now. Your greatest risk isn't failure; it's not being integrated into the emerging AI market at all.
Consider Bill Gates' watershed moment in January 1975, when Paul Allen showed him the Popular Electronics cover featuring the Altair 8800, the first widely accessible personal computer kit. Allen's words—“Hey, this thing is happening without us”—jolted Gates into immediate action. That realization activated the velocity that launched Microsoft's empire.
II. Why You Need Speed
The most striking realization about human potential is that our self-imposed speed limits are set absurdly low. You're restricting yourself on a highway designed for speed at least twice what you're currently traveling.
The conventional genius lives a life of easy cruising through challenge. But great goals demand more. To be a distinctive founder today, you need dual acceleration: faster action and faster decisions.
When you embrace true speed, you unlock:
Quality: Your product improves exponentially through faster iteration cycles.
Productivity: Your team experiences the contagious thrill of accelerated accomplishment and deadline dopamine and the adrenaline of achievement.
Network Activation: Speed creates irresistible momentum that magnetically attracts customers, talent, media, and investors.
Equity Retention: Higher velocity drives valuation growth while lowering costs, reducing dilution from additional funding rounds.
So why aren't you accelerating?
That vision you've had locked between your ears for months? It's dying there. Endless analysis and planning are the hallmarks of mediocrity. Wake up and attack your project as if your existence depends on it. If you truly want to see your vision materialized, you must increase both velocity and intensity. Ideas never take complete shape through contemplation alone—they require focused execution. The faster you move, the more rapidly you improve.
What if your six-month timeline became six weeks? Or what if you pushed even further—10x faster—just 18 days?
And now, with generative AI redefining possibilities, prepare yourself for an uncomfortable truth: the speed bar hasn't just moved—it's entered an entirely new dimension.
III. Your Mind Is Speed
Acceleration is non-negotiable. But understand that speed manifests in multiple dimensions: mental, physical, and spiritual. The fusion of these three into a concentrated act of focus is what produces extraordinary products. Yet remember this crucial distinction: the product is not you. The product exists for other people and for value creation. Everything else is irrelevant.
Cultivate what might seem like a contradictory balance—trust your informed creative intuition while rigorously testing against customer reality. Your refined taste matters in creation, but ultimately, your users' preferences determine your survival.
Creating breakthrough products requires experimental intensity. We live in a world saturated with ideas but starving for meaningful experimentation and durable implementation. This gap represents your opportunity—to build something transformative at the intersection of concepts others merely theorize about, then combine it with rigorous durability.
The rise of AI has only reinforced this truth: the systematic experimenters, not the contemplators, will dominate the future.
Do It For Someone Else
If self-motivation isn't enough to accelerate your pace, here's a powerful mental hack: go fast for others who depend on your success.
Speed up for your employees who bet their careers on your vision. Accelerate for your investors who trusted you with their capital. Move quickly for your customers waiting for solutions to their problems. Run faster for your partner supporting you mentally and spiritually.
These people have placed their faith in you, creating a sense of agency that transcends the self. Every day you delay through procrastination or indecision doesn't just hurt your chances—it impacts everyone who believes in your vision.
In this fleeting window of technological transformation, the greatest act of leadership is simple: decide quickly, focus intensely, and move with unprecedented speed. The AI revolution won't wait. Neither should you.
We Just Did This with Alma
We practiced this exact speed mindset building Alma, our AI teaching assistant.
When we saw teachers drowning in admin work instead of teaching, we didn't spend months on market research or perfect wireframes. We built a working prototype in two weeks. Not a slide deck—working code.
Three key teachers tested it immediately. Their feedback was brutal and perfect. We rebuilt core features in days, not quarters. By week four, we had teachers actively using it in classrooms.
The speed created its own momentum. More teachers wanted access when they saw their colleagues reclaiming hours of their day. School leaders noticed the difference in energy levels. We are now close to landing our first small contract in nine weeks from initial idea.
Had we moved at "normal startup pace," we'd still be debating features and planning launch phases. Instead, teachers are already getting time back for what actually matters—connecting with students.
Speed wasn't about rushing, but it was about focusing intensely on solving one real problem that mattered. Everything unnecessary fell away naturally.