Comparison is a tricky thing. In isolation, it erodes joy and can drain motivation. But I think that if done intentionally, it actually fuels ambition. It defines what we believe is possible. The people around us set the limits of our imagination.

While by no means purely deterministic, the average Bay Area college student pursuing entrepreneurship is more likely to harbor clearer, bolder ambitions than their counterpart in Egypt. This isn't a matter of inherent capability, but rather the stark difference in their surrounding ecosystem. Only one of them is immersed in a network of peers and alumni who have conquered exceedingly difficult feats at the forefront of technology. Exposure cultivates a frame of reference that widens perception and pulls ambition forward.

I also think ambition operates in tiers. Once you believe you can start something, the next question to ask is what problems are actually worth building for.

Common paths can make big ambitions feel untimely/unrealistic, until you notice people actually taking swings at big problems. Comparison in that context expands what you believe you're allowed to try. "Why them?" becomes "Why not me?"

It can be tricky, though, if you end up strictly equating important problems with hard ones (a mistake I made). There are some problems, let's say in condensed matter physics for example, that require incredible rigor to solve, but the solution to the problem itself might not make a great company. These types of problems should be reserved for people that truly love the discipline itself.

This part's obviously highly subjective because everyone has a different definition of what an "important problem worth solving" is—but I think the real issue is not having a definition at all.

There's beauty in caring so much about a problem that you'd chase it even if no one else understood why. Being surrounded by people taking their own big swings makes it feel less insane to take yours.

10/26/25