Book by Jake Custodio

filo. a billionaire’s guide to staying humble

dedication I

dedicate this book, of course, to David Filo.

Throughout the entire process of the interview, he was understanding and totally cooperative, never once growing impatient or shying away from a question. In fact, it was very easy to tell from his responses that he took a lot of time to consider his answers and give them in the most thoughtful way possible. From our interactions, I could very easily detect the attributes that make him a wonderful person worthy of a documentary; he’s easygoing, empathetic, thoughtful, well-spoken and friendly. This project would not have been possible without Filo’s generous permission and cooperation.

I also wish to dedicate this book to Angela Filo, David’s wife, for her valuable contributions. While I didn’t speak as much with her, I could still tell from my experience with her that she was a kind, caring and energetic soul. Angela was very open and easygoing about the entire process, which made things much easier.

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acknowle

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reating this book was made monumentally easier by my friends in Design class who have offered their valuable insights and critiques to my work, as well as kept my spirits high with their endearing personalities. I am infinitely grateful for having had them around during the creative process, as they inspire me in ways few others do.

Jack Orrock never fails to make me laugh. His mind is always brimming with creativity and passion- the Freestyle environment couldn’t be more perfect for him. His youthful energy for life is matched only by his pure-heartedness and generosity.

Lindsay McKinley is, at the same time, easygoing and very hard-working. She is able to focus her mind completely on whatever she aspires to and produce David Palacios is one of my best friends, and a beautiful work, brimming with talent and creativity. person who I admire deeply. He remains humble Though she is quiet, she is by no means devoid of a and modest about himself, almost to a fault. He is sense of humor and comradery. endlessly generous and empathetic towards others, and extremely adaptable to social scenarios- not to Finally, I would like to thank my teacher, Ms. mention one of the funniest people I know.

Parkinson, as well. She has been hugely influential on me in terms of helping me to channel my talents and Kali Micetich is a wonderful desk mate and a very skills into great works of art. She is clearly passionate good friend. They always have something to say which about what she teaches, and incredibly knowledgable, could uplift my mood from even the deepest despair. making her an excellent source of constructive They have never hesitated to offer their voice on my criticism and feedback. Most importantly, though, work and have helped me improve a lot as an artist.

Ms. P is somehow able to tolerate our antics each daythat’s some amazing mental fortitude.

dgements

contents! introduction

preface

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10 chapter 1

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18

chapter 2

chapter 3

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28

conclusion

about the author

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preface T

his project is the result of many hours of work, across multiple months, and was definitely was not completed without great struggle. Originally, the interview was conducted in person and recorded, but the entire recording was lost. Thankfully Filo was understanding of my situation and provided written responses for me- one example of many of his remarkable character.

I learned a great deal about Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator over the course of this project, as well as many things about David Filo and how one can be successful and also maintain their own positive qualities as he has. I also learned much about myself, and the kinds of things that are important to me in terms of my own character.

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intro I

t’s a cold January afternoon in 1994. In the heart of the Stanford campus, 28-year-old David Filo, along with his university mate Jerry Yang, launch the culmination of their technological expertise as computer engineering students. The product of burning curiosity and a desire to create, this was their gift to the budding digital world: Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web. Regrettably the name wouldn’t stick, but the idea—a hierarchical directory of nearly every website on the internet, easily accessible to view for the electronic masses—would steadfastly endure and eventually become the tech juggernaut known as Yahoo!

Through the 90s and into the 2000s, Yahoo! skyrocketed through the market as one of the most successful startups on the internet, picking up enough momentum to survive the burst of the Dot Com Bubble of the early 2000s and remain standing as the fourth most popular search engine in the world today.

Conceptually, it’s exceedingly simple: a directory into which one can search for whatever they please and receive results based on their inquiry from all over the web. Enterprises like Yahoo! and people like Filo have, in a sense, led society’s march into the future by enhancing the capabilities of advanced computing technology

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“It was mostly about a curiosity of the latest technologies that were being created at the time.”

-David Filo

Filo, striking his best “Steve Jobs” pose

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chapter 1 once a upon

time

in...siliconvalley D

avid Robert Filo was born in Wisconsin on April 20th, 1966, as one of six children of middle-class parents from whom he inherited his exceptional modesty. His earliest years were spent there in Wisconsin, but he moved to Louisiana in order to attend college at Tulane University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering. Later, Filo received a Master of Science degree from Stanford, where he would meet his future business partner Jerry Yang. It was there, at Stanford, where the two would use their knowledge of coding to create the early iterations of Yahoo! Until then, their website was just something they made for their own convenience to navigate the web. However,

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their creation’s powerful potential for turning a profit didn’t go unrecognized, and Yahoo! Inc. was founded soon thereafter.

When one imagines Silicon Valley, they think immediately of the enormous tech companies which have given it its legendary reputation, and the people at the head of those massive companies. Some of the most prominent figures in business—Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates—all come to mind. All of these figures have something in common: they’re all insufferable. Silicon Valley billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerburg are arrogant, egocentric, and outspoken to a fault— likely because the money and fame went to their heads.

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Filo, on the other hand, for being the co-founder and programmer of such a colossal presence in the internet, shares almost nothing in common with fellow Silicon Valley billionaires.

Filo’s politeness is matched only by his extraordinary humility. His character represents an incongruity in the world of people who have gotten rich from the internet or t e c h n o l o g y.

His resistance to succumb to the apparent urge to make a public fool of himself, shared by so many others like him, is unique; it means that what he has to say about managing that success is valuable for all people to become better, more humble people. His wife, Angela, values these qualities in him immensely: “With David, what you see is what you get. He is a down-to-

earth, mellow person who enjoys listening, more than talking, is tremendously loyal and generous with his friends and family and who is naturally curious about the world” (A. Filo). Filo’s down-to-earth mindset reflects in his business philosophy as well, which makes him an invaluable resource for learning how to be successful by making the world a better, more convenient place.

It’s estimated that there are over 40,000 startups hoping to strike it rich in Silicon Valley. So what made Yahoo! so special? Statistically, the average person is about twice as likely to be a victim of homicide than they are to be the next Silicon Valley bigshot. So what put Filo on that list? An unconquerable drive to achieve success? Ruthless competitiveness? Divine predestination? Or just a stroke of cosmic good luck?

Filo’s house in Palo Alto, CA

According to Filo, it was a lot of the latter: “Luck certainly played a large role. It certainly was necessary but of course not sufficient. You need to take advantage of being in that position, and that requires hard work and effort.”

Filo believes his colossal success had mostly to do with the time and place at which he founded his business: the epicenter of technological change in the world, at a time when the internet’s novelty and mystical allure was still vibrant. He further explains, “when you experience something first hand it takes away much of the mystique that might have been built up around that—in this case, the mystique of Silicon Valley startups and entrepreneurship. It wasn’t that we were smarter or worked harder than others, but we were just one example of many building on these new ideas. Many factors outside of our direct control helped lead to our success” (Filo). So, it seems that Filo and Yahoo! did not represent anything terribly unique, but an extension of a much larger trend of innovation and limit-pushing in the field of computer science and software development. Equally helpful to their success was the blind willingness of venture capitalists to pour money into the then poorly-understood internet enterprise.

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I crave the Dave I hate you

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chapter 2 david goliath and

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y making a fortune on the internet, Filo has made the dream of many aspiring young people his reality. More significantly, though, he made his fortune helping to define what the internet would eventually grow to become. Yahoo! makes finding anything on the web much easier and provides ease of access to information, which has become the most essential cornerstone and mission statement of the online world. Filo’s website has done much to help mold the internet into its modern shape and achieve its full distributive potential. “The internet has certainly brought change to most aspects of our lives,” Filo says, “However, I’d say the changes have mostly been about making 18

things more efficient. In that sense, our lives aren’t really that different, just sped up. Many of the successful Internet companies demonstrate this point: Amazon replaces Walmart for consumer purchases… Media streaming has replaced DVDs, CDs and previous technologies. Internet searching replaces the library.” He would define the internet in its simplest form as a platform for the optimization of established systems in society, like communication and delivery. Not additive, but enhancing. Therefore, Yahoo! would serve as a means of amplifying the availability of information to all—a noble purpose, especially for a country which places such deservedly sacred value on freedom of expression.

the ting sport a r t pic ons dem an olym o l i F s of rule

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“While I tend to have a healthy dose of skepticism and cynicism when it comes to new tech...

But Filo’s gift to the online world may not wholly be a shining beacon of virtue. Obviously, the accessibility of so much content on the internet allows for the easier spread of knowledge, but it’s easy to imagine a point where too much is out there. The internet is notoriously a place where “anything can be found,” right down to the most abominable horrors ever wrought by humankind; details needn’t be shared.

On the internet’s general impact on society, Filo thinks, “It’s hard to know 20

how much of it is positive and how much of it is negative. It seems that all new technologies are used for good as well as for bad and generally have many unintended consequences along the way. And while I tend to have a healthy dose of skepticism and cynicism when it comes to the use of new tech, ultimately I think technology over the long run is an overall benefit to society and plays a key role in moving us forward.”

Admiring some freshly-picked oranges from the front yard

...ultimately I think technology over the long run is a benefit to society and plays a role in moving us forward.”

-David Filo

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ith the physical world being so thoroughly bound to the digital world, they can often seem inseparable and identical. This sweeping change in the collective means of function and thought for all humankind is an incredibly recent development, however, as the internet only really became as pervasive as it is in the last 20 years. This begs the inevitable question: If so much has changed since the very recent past, how much is subject to the same sweeping changes in the future? Can anyone know? In terms of the web, at least, few could be considered more credible to answer such a question than Filo, having experienced—and partially created—the full history of the internet’s development. “I have no clue.

We were promised flying cars and all we got was 140 characters, or something like that. Some things take much longer than you expect, other things happen quickly out of the blue.

Demonstrating one of his many skills

Software continues to transform the world in a boring and predictable kind of way. A relentless march towards efficiency. The Internet is so ubiquitous, like electricity, that I’m not sure it’s a meaningful distinction any longer” (Filo). Apparently, not even David Filo can claim to know the trajectory of the internet, because of how decentralized and integrated into the broader infrastructure of society it’s become. However, he can make some educated guesses: “When you look at the broader technology landscape I would guess some of the areas to expect the biggest disruptions will come from artificial intelligence, the biological sciences—in particular, disease prevention, aging and reproduction. Crypto seems to be the latest craze and it very well might drive a lot of change in the near future, but like flying cars, I wouldn’t be shocked if some of these transitions take longer than expected” (Filo).

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chapter 3 you want to so it make

big

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oday, Filo is happily retired and living with his family in Palo Alto.

He met his eventual wife, Angela Buenning, at Stanford, where she was finishing her undergraduate degree, and the two have since had a child. As she reflects on her husband today, Angela says, “Given his values and upbringing, in some ways having a lot of wealth enter his life may have been one of his worst nightmares…

He is not interested in most of the things that money can buy, with the exception of a house in our neighborhood!”

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“I’m not sure how to be lucky.

But your chances are increased if you work hard to be in the right place at the right time. Surround yourself with people and institutions that are serious about making the world a better place. Of course this doesn’t guarantee any 26

particular outcome, but certainly improves your odds of finding a rewarding project to devote yourself to… Whether that turns into a profitable business or not will be determined by many other factors, but if you focus on solving a need, it will be more enjoyable and satisfying and certainly more useful to the world. And have fun!”

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conclusion D

avid Filo is one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever spoken to. He stays so earnest and truthful to himself and others because he’s able to remind himself that he’s very lucky to be where he is- he doesn’t inflate his own image by proclaiming that he did everything on his own, or that he’s the most skilled person in his field. He’s able to recognize the fact that he isn’t, accept it, and be a good person despite it.

Filo shows that it isn’t supreme talent, skill or ambition that makes one a good person, but rather attitude and acute self-awareness. If the world had more David Filo’s it would be a much happier place.

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works

“Dotcom Bubble.” Corporate Finance Institute, 22 Jan. 2022, https://corporatefinanceinstitute. com/resources/knowledge/tradinginvesting/dotcom-bubble/.

Startup Genome. “Reasons to Move Your Startup to Silicon Valley.” Startup Genome, https://startupgenome.com/ecosystems/ silicon-valley

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cited

Berk, Richard. “What Are the Chances of Becoming a Homicide Victim?” What Are The Chances of Becoming A Homicide Victim? | Department of Criminology, https://crim.sas.upenn.edu/fact-check/ what-are-chances-becoming-homicide-victim.

Centra No.2 Extrabold font: <div>Font made from <a href=”http://www.onlinewebfonts.com”>oNline Web Fonts</a>is licensed by CC BY 3.0</div> Filo, David. Personal interview. 31 Mar. 2022.

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about

the

author J

ake Anthony Custodio is a passionate student of Freestyle Academy and incredibly enthusiastic about graphic design and art. Imaginative, thoughtful and intelligent, Jake is able to incorporate his endless creativity in visually appealing ways, all while not compromising his artistic vision to the confines of technical convention.

Ever since early childhood, Jake has been a natural-born leader and an inspired artist. He has a strong work ethic and is able to invest countless time and effort into the things he’s passionte about. He has no trouble fitting into a social situation, and can effortlessly make people laugh. Jake Cares deeply about his friends and family, and often puts them before himself.

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