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How to be more innovative | Sam Schillace (Microsoft deputy CTO, creator of Google Docs)

Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career

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ADVICE

Career Advice

💬 "We tend to undervalue the things we're good at. We tend to think work has to be unpleasant."

We often undervalue our strengths and assume work must be hard.
Many people grind through unpleasant work, believing it's the path to success.
Instead, focus on what you enjoy and excel at, even if it feels easy.
Find something you're passionate about and dedicate yourself fully to it.
The most significant impact comes from being in a flow state, enjoying your work, and excelling at it.

Key takeaway: Pursue work that brings you joy and allows you to make a substantial impact, even if it doesn't feel like traditional "hard work."

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Transcript

Episode notes

Sam Schillace is deputy CTO and corporate vice president at Microsoft. Prior to working at Microsoft, Sam started a company called Writely, which was acquired by Google and became the foundation of what today is Google Docs. While at Google, Sam helped lead many of Google’s consumer products, including Gmail, Blogger, PageCreator, Picasa, Reader, Groups, and more recently Maps and Google Automotive Services. Sam was also a principal investor at Google Ventures, has founded six startups, and was the SVP of engineering at Box through their IPO. In this episode, we discuss:

• The journey of building Google Docs

• The importance of taking risks, embracing failure, and finding joy in your work

• The importance of asking “what if” questions vs. “why not”

• Why convenience always wins

• How, and why, Sam stays optimistic

• Inside Microsoft’s culture

• Why you should solve problems without asking for permission

• Early-career advice

• Why “pixels are free” and “bots are docs”

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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-be-more-innovative-sam-schillace

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Where to find Sam Schillace:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schillace/

• Newsletter: https://sundaylettersfromsam.substack.com/

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

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