There are so many easier ways to live your life than to start a company.
Imgur is a data-driven company, and our community is our most important signal. But you can't perfectly plot humans neatly into a chart. It takes someone with instincts and empathy to truly understand the community and represent them in all of the company decisions.
In the early days, it was enough for Imgur to have a team that was focused on building product and engineering. But I realized early on if we were going to be successful, we needed someone who would be a bridge between the company and community.
I'm the type of manager who doesn't really like the word 'manage.' Nor do I really like the word 'boss.' I like to look at myself as more as a leader.
Imgur is all about images, some of which may be photos but don't have to be.
Honestly, I could care less about business development.
When I was in high school and college, I'd always been into websites, and when you'd read about sites and the companies and people behind them, they were always in Silicon Valley. This one's in Mountain View, this one's in Palo Alto. They're all right here. I knew I wanted to move out here, whether it was to work at Google or some other company.
If a whole bunch of users want a specific feature, and we think that feature is pretty cool, too, that that's just what we'll do.
Imgur has always been profitable right from the very beginning, and the only time I ever had to spend money on it was for the initial domain name because as soon as I released it, people liked it so much that they were donating, and so Imgur survived for the first six months just purely on donations.
Imgur offers a rare place for people to express themselves in a real way without the fear of social judgment. Everyone has an equal chance of sharing their story to millions of people because it's not about who you are but about the quality of your content.
When I come into the office, the first thing I do is I plan out what I want to accomplish that day. I write it down in my notebook and make sure I accomplish it before I leave that day.
One of my favorite sci-fi books is 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card. I would recommend it to anyone who loves sci-fi. It's a perfect intro to sci-fi.
Not only do Imgurians get the opportunity to find the content that they love but also serve up their favorite content to others who visit their profiles.
I ran a profitable boostrapped company for five years, then raised $40 million from Andreessen Horowitz.
I like to think of an image as different from a photo.
How do I find someone for a position I've never worked with - or worked under, even? I feel like I'm not qualified to make a lot of these decisions.
The only thing that matters on Imgur is the quality of the content.
I don't think display advertising is the future of advertising.
We want to be the best place on the Internet. That's where the focus is at.
I'm proud that I've been able to attract an incredible team to work with me.
