In all the difficult decisions that I made through the course of running Loudcloud and Opsware, I never once felt brave. In fact, I often felt scared to death. I never lost those feelings, but after much practice, I learned to ignore them. That learning process might also be called the courage development process.

In my experience as CEO, I found that the most important decisions tested my courage far more than my intelligence.

Big companies have trouble with innovation. Innovation is about bad ideas, or ideas that look like bad ideas. That's the fundamental thing.

Leadership is hard to train on.

As a writer, I find that a good way of evolving a character is through an examination of his or her defining relationships - and what's more defining than a relationship with someone you love?

I'm not such a fan of the concept of social media, though I don't have anything against it. I still love to call the people I want to be friends with.

To want friendship is a great fault. Friendship ought to be a gratuitous joy, like the joys afforded by art or life.

I think it can be fun to write about relationships just because so many people can relate to what you are feeling.