Have you ever laughed at someone’s stupidity? On how they failed to see something?
For example, in 2000, Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph offered to sell the company to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster turned them down. Netflix is today worth a $25 BILLION!
Do you feel like laughing at Blockbuster? Even feel a tinge of sadistic pleasure perhaps? And tremendous respect for the brilliance of the founders?
Do you also realize that maybe the founders also did not see that the company would grow to $25B? Not just blockbuster?
Else would they sell it for 50 million? Or maybe they did see the potential – but could not keep the company going.
Either way, nobody could see the future or know that they would be ready for it.
They weren’t stupid. They just did not have the benefit of hindsight that you and I do.
Anytime we find ourselves laughing at someone bad decision, it’s humbling to ask “If I knew what they knew then, would I have been able to see what is so obvious NOW?”
We all just trying our best and rolling the dice. Just that, if it works, we create a story to claim credit.
