Dangerous Truths

If it's forbidden to be spoken about, it's likely true.

-Peter Thiel

The most valuable things in the world are a set of things that are kept secret, but are closer to truth about how the world works. When told or built on, these secrets change the power structure of society. This can happen at both a micro and macro scale ranging from family to governments.

We see this often in startups. Investors often look for “insights“ which are generally non-obvious truths about how the world works or where it’s heading. Then we bet on these insights because it’s by telling those secrets and reshuffling value, that allows you to unlock large opportunities and companies.

It also happens on the scale of families. Challenging the lies your parents tell you is often the only way to achieve freedom and independence from where you came from and grow up in the world.

In societies, secrets can come in the form of oppressive or one-party government states that prioritize control over freedom. We normally think of places like North Korea or Russia this way, but it’s also becoming true of one party states in liberal “democracies”.

The most dangerous truths can come from the lies you hear and then tell yourself - it’s where most of the pain in your life will come from. There’s a temptation to tell-all when you tell yourself those truths, but often they’re so ingrained that you need to be careful, because they’re the truths that challenge the status quo. If you do it right it can happen in the biggest of ways that can create enduring companies.