Currently I am reading Zero to One by Peter Thiel. I found his recent National Conservatism Conference talk quite enlightening:
As a former lab drone, I have often thought about how much easier it is to be a software entrpreneur than a biotech entrepreneur. Thiel spells it out in this interesting table from Zero to One:
Unalignment is a big problem in biotech/pharmaceuticals. Goals established by committees means that most employees are woking on someone else’s bad idea. Failure rates are high (87% across all therapeutic areas). Shifting priorities, unrealistic deadlines, always working in emergency mode, virtue signalling propaganda, and open concept seating all contribute to a toxic work environment. High salaries keep people around for the money, not because they believe in what they are doing.
Thiel’s ideas on monopolies are also refreshing. Currently I am acting on his recommendation to find secret I can exploit.