While driving back from work yesterday, I binge-listened to a Peter Thiel podcast.

Spotify recommendations next led to a phenomenon called Paypal Mafia.

So, I thought I'd share what I heard:

The PayPal Mafia is a bunch of folks who started PayPal and then moved on to do other cool things after eBay bought PayPal.

Big names like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, and the folks who started YouTube and Yelp were part of this. They've all gone on to do big things in Silicon Valley.

Here's what made them successful:

1. They used what they learned at PayPal to come up with new ideas and support others with theirs, even when many tech folks had called it quits.
2. They knew how to learn fast and adapt, saw it as a must-have, and bunched up people who could do the same to keep up with a fast-paced world.
3. They understood that tech moments happen once. They knew there's a first time for everything in tech and then it becomes normal.
4. They were all about supporting each other at PayPal, no matter what their job was. Their focus was on creating new and exciting things. They also knew how to put their egos aside for the greater good.

India has its own phenomenon called Flipkart Mafia, can you guess which startup founders are part of this cartel? Tell me in the comments below!

#paypalmafia #tech #elon