Jake: Anonymity In The Invasive Age, Leaving Investment Banking, & The Truth About Bitcoin
“As long as people believe that something has value, then it does.”- Jake
Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Play | Stitcher | YouTube
Full Episode On YouTube
Intro
On this episode of Auxoro, Zach speaks with Jake, host of Blog of Jake and Pod of Jake. During their discussion, Jake and Zach dive into the concept of anonymity, how even your smallest decisions can have great impact, the therapeutic nature of writing, and the exciting future of Bitcoin. Jake has written extensively on Bitcoin on his blog, and he hopes that he can grow his audience to encourage more people to have faith in the most secure market currency in the world.
Key Takeaways
Anonymity Still Exists in the Age of Invasive Information
As a minimalist, Jake was drawn to using the blue dot as a pseudonym.
It might be easier to recognize something simple, for brand recognition.
“People will still judge you based on your content alone.” - Jake (12:00)
What is the Value of an Alter-Ego?
A well-known person can probably convert fans to a pseudonym more easily.
“Building trust in your audience is really important.” - Jake (16:40)
Most of Amazon’s success stems from its ability to build trust with a simple product.
How Are You Held Accountable as an Anonymous Creator?
It takes some self-accountability, and Jake has high standards.
Zach tries to release the best piece of content possible.
“You can’t hold peoples’ pasts to the standards of the present.” - Jake (24:20)
“I think ultimately I am somewhat uncancelable.” - Jake (26:00)
You don’t want to risk your ability to put food on the table.
Why Jake Left Investment Banking
Banking is something everyone wants in, but everyone that’s in wants out.
He applied Bezos’ regret minimization—fastwarding to when you’re 80 and asking yourself what you’ll most likely regret looking back.
You should write about what you think you’ll regret most.
“You can’t possibly know what small decisions are going to have the greatest impact.” - Jake (38:40)
I like to hear people’s perspectives, but I like to make decisions myself.” - (44:30)
It’s hard to get out of the career growth mindset when you’re deep in it.
Thinking About Decision Making
Tim Ferris’s 4-Hour Work Week and “fear setting.”
Staying in Italy
The moonset at the Amalfi coast.
Jake also spent some time studying abroad in Europe.
“There is a romantic aspect to not knowing where you want to go.” - Zach (56:00)
He also wrote a book during a two-week road trip cross country after college.
What Have You Learned About Yourself While Writing?
If there’s anything you should do, it’s probably to answer the call.
Committing to something like writing (instead of video games or your phone) for long stretches of time is valuable in its own right.
Why Is Bitcoin Such a Great Investment Idea?
There’s something to be said for users driving hosts (think Uber and Airbnb).
Bitcoin is an unprecedented thing. There’s a way to create true scarcity.
“I write off 50% of Bitcoin’s future as a complete failure.” - Jake (1:14:00)
Zach has been planning to buy Bitcoin for a while now.
Jake just tries to take a reasonable approach...it’s not risk-free.
How long will it take Bitcoin to get to the point where it seems intrinsically linked to our future?
Other Misconceptions About Bitcoin
People think it’s not valuable because there is no physical denomination, but investing in the market is not that different.
Bitcoin is basically a database that can’t be tampered with.
It’s hard to imagine overnight volatility in the US, even though it happens around the world.
“The believers are not fazed by the viral nature of bitcoin.” - Jake (1:35:00)
“As long as people believe that something has value, then it does.” - Jake (1:37:20)
Why Should Someone Bet on Jake?
Jake wants to make it so people can more formally invest in him, and he’s playing with different methods to do that.
People would benefit from following his channels because he has a good sense of judgment.
He has a lot of faith in himself, and hopes others will return that to him.
He’d like to get more people interested in cryptocurrency.
A lot of what drives him is that he’d like to give back to the world what’s been given to him.
“If you think it’s for you, I think you probably know it’s for you.” - Jake (1:57:45)
Search Blog of Jake on all social media platforms.
Visit blogofjake.com for links to all of Jake’s content streams.
Check out The Blog of Jake’s Fundamentals of Bitcoin.