Ethan Ding, founder of TextQL, believes the biggest problem in startups isn’t talent—it’s talent dispersion. In this episode, he shares how he met his co-founder, how he discovered his co-founder was "the one," why partnerships are the key to billion-dollar companies, and why waiting to find the right people is the biggest mistake you can make.

We also get into:

- Why education suppresses natural talent

- The line between confidence and arrogance for intelligence

- Why he doesn’t believe in “Fake it Until You Make it”

- How to double down on the right relationships

Hope you enjoy the episode! Please be sure to like and subscribe :)

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TIMESTAMPS: 

0:00 - Welcome Ethan! 

1:00 You’re never surprised when things go bad

3:47 - Life after getting fired and transitioning into TextQL

7:00 - How Ethan knew Mark, his co-founder, was “the one”

13:00 - The next trillion dollar company will be a partnership

21:45 - How Ethan is fighting the talent dispersion problem

27:36 - A love letter to special people who don’t know they’re special

29:30 - Does our education system suppress people’s “it”?

34:20 - Drawing the line between embracing superiority and being arrogant

38:00 - Ethan’s attitude on agency

41:00 - Why Ethan doesn’t believe in “Fake it Until you Make it”

43:00 - “Every day that you’re not finding your person is a day wasted”

47:30 - Does the sense of “urgency to find someone” apply to romantic relationships only or time spent with family and friends?

53:00 - Double down on existing relationships

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