Twitter’s Biz Stone Talks About How He Defines Success

I recently heard Biz Stone, the co-founder and co-inventor of Twitter who also helped create and launch Xanga and Blogger, speak at the GBTA Convention in Los Angeles. In his remarks, he shared the story behind the idea and invention of Twitter. He also shared some of his insights into how he defines success. I took the following notes:

• First, it must be fun before it can be important.
• Twitter is not a triumph of technology. It’s a triumph of humanity.
• Opportunity can be manufactured.
• Creativity is a renewable resource.
• To succeed spectacularly you need to be willing to fail spectacularly.
• Altruism is important, be willing to help other people.
• Get started helping others early. There is a compounding impact in helping others. Time matters.
• A lot of the improvements made at Twitter came from watching how people used our software.
• My hope is that all of this hyper-connectivity will create more empathy in the world.

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