James wrote an post about Max Levchin, referencing this NY Times article with some details about his past and current endeavors. Max co-founded PayPal in his early 20’s, selling it to eBay shortly after going IPO…for over $1B.
Max is now just 32 years old with a net worth >$100M. He’s not slowing down; hard at work on his next project, Slide, working 18 hour days and as driven as ever. I’ve used Slide and the product is pretty good, though I’m more of a Flickr fan for sharing photos right now. Slide is a bit too slow for me and I’ve never been a fan of the “scrolling pictures” approach they use. I prefer to quickly scroll through images.
However, on Facebook, I’m a happy SuperPoke and FunWall user. Both are Apps his company has built on their platform.
I’ve wondered what I would do if work truly did become “optional,” and can definitely say that working 18 hour days would not be high on my list of post-tycoon pursuits. I’m willing to bet that people like Max see work in a different light than the others. It’s about accomplishment, creativity and challenge. It’s about working because you want to, not because you have to. I guess that means it’s not really work at all.
Related Links
- Max Levchin’s Blog
- http://www.levchin.com Personal website, includes photos from PayPal IPO.
- Slide: Max Levchin’s Next Act Business Week Article
- VC’s See$2B IPO For Slide Wire.com Blog
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“Max is now just 32 years old with a net worth >$100M” wow…. I am speechless!