I was on a road trip with Max Levchin (Paypal founder) and we had a pair of meetings at the two extremes of personality. To lay some groundwork, Max is wildly introverted, an “academic” Jew more than a spiritual Jew, and struggles with his need for recognition and significance and his desire to be alone.
Meeting one was with the founder of a company that owned Fanatics (online Official Licensed sport apparel), Rue La La (flash sales, my boy Mark McWeeny from Northwestern is the CEO) and retail aggregator Shoprunner. Founder Mark Rubin has sold his previous company, GSI Commerce, a shopping platform, to eBay. It made him a ton of cash, but it also turned out to be more sizzle than steak, and years later eBay was still trying to get the integration to work-as-advertised. Max and I met Mark and his right-hand-man at Koi where they immediately showed their stripes in the condescending ways they treated the staff. Mark jockeyed to sit next to Max and starting coming at him hard — what’s the future of this, what are betting on there, how do you see x unfolding for y…and you could see Max fold his arms and then push back in his seat the longer he was bombarded with questions, but barely given any air to speak. After we left, Max said “tell me I’ll never have to meet that guy again”. On the good side, his right-hand-man said they were looking for a digital ass kicker and I pointed them towards my former co-worker Dave Katz, who is still there five years later.
Next we met with the CEO of startup Ice.com that sold diamond jewelry online. We met with the most orthodox Jew I have ever had real contact with by the name of Shmuel Gniwish. This dude was as calm as a mirror lake. He was passionate about his business in the most powerfully chill way I have ever experienced. He was mesmerizing/intoxicating to be around. In a discussion I will never forget, I asked Max about his thoughts on Schmuel — I knew that at one point, in opposition to his hardcore science parents, Max had chosen some Rabbinical line of study, so I thought he might have some insight. He delivered. “The thing you need to understand about Schmuel is the intense peace he has with life. On the one hand, he’s leading a business that the extended family is counting on. However, he is a complete believer. If the business were to go under, if he were to lose his family to tragedy and end up living in his car, he knows G-d (deference to the Jewish way of referencing the Lord) would still be in his life and he would have meaning. It is unassailable and gives great strength and peace.” That was some gold.