It turns out even tech titans want to be liked by their colleagues—or at least, some of them do. On Thursday morning Spotify CEO and cofounder, Daniel Ek, posted on X (formerly Twitter) a quote that reminds him of the importance of persistence.
It struck a chord, with some of the biggest names in tech piling into the chat to either back Ek up, or criticize the quote.
Ek shared that his “guiding motto” is a George Bernard Shaw quote, which reads: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
The Spotify chief continued: “I am not sure about other entrepreneurs, but for me being unreasonable is a difficult thing. Like many others, I struggle with wanting to be liked.
“So seeing this on my wall every day when I wake up serves as a reminder to not worry about conforming, and to persist. Because without it, companies such as Spotify and many others wouldn’t exist.”
I have my guiding motto on a wall in my house. It’s a quote from George Bernard Shaw that says: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
I am…— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) August 23, 2023
The post seemingly struck a chord with Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, who recently welcomed his second daughter with tennis star Serena Williams.
Ohanian responded: “Feel this in my bones. Thanks. I forgot about this quote.”
But it seems like not every entrepreneur at the top of the chain struggles with pushing for change and being “unlikable” as a result.
Elon Musk quipped he had “overcome the desire to be liked.”
Responding to Ek, the Tesla CEO and X owner added: “For what it’s worth, I like you.”
I have overcome the desire to be liked 🤣— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2023
Musk has faced various opposition from employees, shareholders, and stakeholders across his companies and platforms over the years, as well as backlash from the media, users, and advertisers.
‘I hate this quote’
Shark Tank star and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was the last to weigh in on the conversation—and he didn’t care much for the message.
Cuban, who is aiming to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry with his CostPlusDrugs.com launch, replied to Ek: “I hate this quote. Sorry.”
The entrepreneur reportedly worth $6.6 billion believes individuals shouldn’t be criticized for wanting to innovate: “It’s not being unreasonable to create change. It’s not being unreasonable to challenge the status quo.”
Instead, he argued: “It’s unreasonable to continue to do things because that’s the way it’s always been done. It’s unreasonable to nostalgically try to return to the past. The only thing constant in life is change.”
I hate this quote. Sorry. Maybe it’s semantics. But it’s not being unreasonable to create change. It’s not being unreasonable to challenge the status quo. It’s unreasonable to continue to do things because that’s the way it’s always been done. It’s unreasonable to…— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 24, 2023
Cuban isn’t afraid to speak his mind on X—despite acknowledging that some users of the platform may disagree with him.
He previously said he’s happy with being labeled woke, adding it’s “good for business.”
He recently doubled down on the message in response to tech investor Chamath Palihapitiya. “Go woke, go broke,” Palihapitiya posted on X.
Cuban hit back: “Can you name one woke company that has gone broke?”