Ego is dark fuel.
It lit the fire. The right people are teaching me where to point it.
It lit the fire. The right people are teaching me where to point it.
A Saturday note Hey, it’s Harshith again. I know this isn’t our usual Monday, Wednesday, Friday cadence. But I want to try something a little more personal: every Saturday, I’ll send you a short note about something I’ve been thinking through, learning, or unlearning. This is the first one. I turn 24 in about two months. And after starting my professional career at 18, I’ve reached one slightly uncomfortable conclusion: I have a ton of ego. Honestly, it has been dark fuel for me. It pushed me to work harder, take risks, enter rooms I probably had no business entering, and believe I could figure things out. But dark fuel is still… dark fuel. If you don’t learn to control it, it starts controlling you. Recently, I had the opportunity to conduct a session at Greatship. Some of the people there have literally been working for as long as I’ve been alive. I’m also working on my newest venture alongside someone with decades of experience. And I’ve started noticing something: The people with the most substance usually have the least need to prove it. They listen. They ask questions. They disagree without turning every conversation into an ego wrestling match. Meanwhile, some of us in our twenties can watch three podcasts, learn five buzzwords, buy the latest iPhone, and suddenly walk around with: “Who the f*** are you to tell me anything?” I say “us” because I’ve absolutely been that person too. After nearly six years of working, I’ve figured out one thing: It’s the people, man. That’s it. Work with the right people. People who have done the work. People who challenge your thinking. People whose confidence comes from evidence, not performance. People who can humble your ego without killing your ambition. Ego can light the fire. But the right people teach you where to point it.
Harshith Vaddiparthy works with founders, operators, and teams on practical AI products, workflows, advisory, training, and mentorship. This no-JavaScript version preserves the page's core information and navigation.