Our goal definitely isn't to sell Stripe.
In life, in the media, and everything, people focus way too much on founders.
At most large companies, what is locally optimal for you is very frequently not what is globally optimal for the company.
Being a public company certainly doesn't stop you from taking a really long-term time horizon, but it does make it more difficult.
I myself am not religious, but yes, I certainly grew up in a very Catholic environment.
Silicon Valley does not breed great technology. Instead, the smartest people from around the world tend to move to Silicon Valley.
It's inevitable that tough situations will come up, but it's how you react that is the challenge.
One phrase we use at Stripe is, 'Most tech companies are building cars. Stripe is building roads.'
I grew up in very rural Ireland. The Internet was kind of a connection to the greater world. It had a lot of significance.
There is a higher degree of operational excellence and rigor demanded of Stripe than of most companies.
When you talk to people who are old, some wish they had enjoyed themselves more, but not many wish they had wasted more time.
It's not that I don't enjoy TV. If I had infinite time, I would watch it.
Presumably, what you want to do is work on something meaningful and significant with people you really admire.
What interests us in Stripe is the idea that there could much more commerce happening on the Internet.
In general, I have a lot of issues with the mythology of the founder.
