About John Kim
In a 2025 clip, John Kim stated that the most common mistake startups make is failing to talk to enough customers. He said he is surprised when founders report speaking to only three to five customers per week, arguing they should be speaking to that many per day. Kim also cautioned that founders often over-index on their strengths—engineers may focus too much on product development, while outward-facing founders may spend excessive time networking—and advised that nothing else matters until a strong product-market fit is found.
In a 2018 appearance, Kim described working for a Fortune 500 company as "one of the most dangerous career things you can do," arguing that such companies are not nimble and that C-level executives lack the courage to resist investor pressure, leading to layoffs. However, he also said he would hesitate to recommend that people leave a W-2 job where they are still learning, noting that some may later find their skills are inadequate. Kim expressed support for 1099 work, stating it can provide greater job security through diversified income streams.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from John Kim's recent appearances.
Browse all interviews →
Transcript (5 segments)
U
Unknown0:00
I think one thing that you've said more than once is that working for a Fortune 500 or a large company is one of the most dangerous career things you can do.
J
John Kim0:06
I did say that, yes. I would say that again today. And the idea being: I think it's true that a lot of big companies honestly aren't nimble enough to manage what's going on right now.
U
Unknown0:18
Before the break we talked about the world being very volatile, and I kind of disagree with that, and my argument would be...
J
John Kim0:25
No, I completely agree that we should all take extreme ownership of our careers and we should constantly be adding value. Treat your manager at work like a customer. Buy that. But I would hesitate to recommend that people stop their W-2 job where they're still learning good stuff, working with people that they like, to be 1099 and then later on find out that their skills aren't adequate to feed their children.
U
Unknown0:54
Oh, feed their children! He ends on 'feed their children,' folks! That's like the stinger! Feed the children! Feed the children! And then he whispers it in this very Sarah McLachlan kind of way: 'feed the children.' Okay, so my point is: you know, I'm a big fan of 1099, and I like that because I think that it gives people—ironically enough—greater job security because you're having a diversified portfolio of income streams when you do it right, versus going all-in. So people who are employed W-2, you have a job, you have all your income or zero; it's an all-or-none thing. And if you work for a Fortune 500 company, they have so much pressure for quarterly earnings for these kind of quiet investors sitting from our house, you know, investing and expecting returns, not really caring about the business of the people, frankly, right? And so the only way they're going to hit the market—and there's not enough leadership courage amongst the C-level at most Fortune 500 companies; they're neither strategic nor courageous—so they just bend over to those investors and ultimately result in cutting costs by laying people off. So I love 1099, but there's something else that you said over dinner which I also want to build on—and I think you don't think everyone is kind of cut out for that lifestyle.
