justin rosenstein

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Do Great Things: Your Role in the Human Project

As President of Product, Larry was overseeing dozens of products; he didn’t have time to think deeply about each one. It was my job to crisply explain that this market was about to take off, with lots of competent startups entering the space, that we should ship it now, start gaining market share with a revolutionary product, and then go back and integrate (do it right).

So what did I learn?:

1. If you’re managing a project inside of a company, living and breathing it,

the onus is on you, not upper management,

to understand and articulate the marketing positioning and strategy that’s unique to your project. If management still disagrees with you, I wouldn’t fight them, but have enough confidence to make your case with conviction.

2. Now that I’m in a leadership role as the co-founder of Asana, I think twice before disagreeing with one of my reports when they look like they’ve really thought something through in their area of expertise and are passionate about their conclusion. I still disagree a lot — ultimately it’s my responsibility to ensure Asana maintains a consistent vision — but once I’ve made up my mind, it can still be changed.

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one project:

In 2019, One Project officially got off the ground, though we’ve been formulating our ideas for almost a decade. This talk from 2013 gives a view of our early thinking on the potential for worldwide collaboration toward what matters most.

links to 33 min talk – do great things – your roll in human project – By Justin Rosenstein, co-founder, Asana, at Wisdom 2.0 2013 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mivoSvYusAU]

understanding and compassion

we have opp to come together and create unprecedented global human thriving.. never happened before

mufleh humanity law: we have seen advances in every aspect of our lives except our humanity– Luma Mufleh

i believe world problems stem from a conclusion about who we are.. and that what is required is a radical shift in consciousness

shift via listening & connecting deeper.. in order to undo our hierarchical listening ie: 2 convers as infra

perhaps we really can have tech w/o judgment so we have the space/time to detox ourselves all in sync ie: tech as it could be

humanity needs a leap.. to get back/to simultaneous spontaneity .. simultaneous fittingness.. everyone in sync..

the shift from me to we

nah.. that would mess us up just as much.. ie: that’s how we got to whales in sea world et al

what we need is a means to ground the chaos of a legit zoom dance (back and forth ongoingly from me to we to whatever – so much ongoingly that it melds into one)

we are one team.. two big ideas that motivate this shift: interconnectedness and universal love

ai humanity needs: augmenting interconnectedness .. because love

thurman interconnectedness law: when you understand interconnectedness it makes you more afraid of hating than of dying – Robert Thurman

today we’ll see these in how relate practically to business, tech.. as global human systems to survive/thrive and for individual human happiness

i don’t think ie: business is a human/natural/love system.. we have to let go of any form of measuring/accounting.. and get back to unconditional ness

what we need is a reset: art (by day/light) and sleep (by night/dark) as re\set.. to fittingness/undisturbed ecosystem

applying me to we – ecology, nations, business, tech, fb

1st computer at 10.. worked at google (google chat, google drive), like button, asana..

4 min – something else i’ve been fascinated by – the universe.. summary of my life: i was born and i was really impressed.. there’s no reason there should be a universe at all.. i love the universe.. i’m determined to never take it for granted.. led me to meditation and spirituality (study of nature of reality and consciousness thru direct experience).. a set of techs for gaining insight into what’s really going on here

5 min – i wanted to go deeper than intellect.. so ie: yoga, ecstatic dance..

intellect ness et al

lived in urban coop w 11 others.. experimenting w living authentically and embodying our shared values

be you house ness

couple yrs ago took tent to woods and for week lived alone.. because i wanted to see what’s really going on in here (points to head).. to really stare myself in the face

detox – room in be you house et al

we need that detox/reset.. everyday..

imagine if we could ensure at least 3 min a day for 8b people (ie: 2 convers as infra) to undo the hierarchical listening we have w selves/others/nature

i wanted to see who i really am when there are no distractions left to take refuge in..t

spot on.. and again.. imagine if we could do that first thing everyday for 8b people.. looking inside first.. before the distractions/choices/decisions/consentings/whatever set in ie: curiosity over decision making

6 min – each person’s journey is necessarily going to be unique

huge..

supposed to’s.. of school/work are killing us

this is why humanity needs a leap.. to get back/to simultaneous spontaneity .. simultaneous fittingness.. everyone in sync.. while we’re each doing our own thing

‘in undisturbed ecosystems ..the average individual, species, or population, left to its own devices, behaves in ways that serve and stabilize the whole..’ –Dana Meadows

before i was always concerned about what other people thought about me.. i was never quite content.. always felt like something was missing.. and these days i still do.. pretty much every day/hr

because we haven’t yet listened deep enough to hear/see what our legit missing pieces are

but now i can usually pause for just a second and find a joy in each breath.. a love in each creature.. i focus a lot more on how i can give than on what i am receiving

that’s what art does to you – you’d do anything to give it away

7 min – and these two parts of my life.. technology and spirituality are deeply intertwined for me.. many in sv.. and the heart of this movement is this radical shift in consciousness from me to we.. the shift from identifying w our individual minds/bodies to identifying with the interest of humanity as a whole

has to be both .. simultaneous

the shift is already under way and we can accelerate it by sharing two key ideas: interconnectedness and universal love

1\ interconnectedness – fates are intertwined.. can grasp by zooming out ie: food: we are literally what we eat; climate; health; et al.. emerge systems that are more sum of parts.. reality is really on interconnected system

zoom dance ness

one ness

9 min – so.. really in long term self interest to work together

and/or.. in long term global/system interest to listen to self first.. everyday

in undisturbed ecosystems ..the average individual, species, or population, left to its own devices, behaves in ways that serve and stabilize the whole..’ –Dana Meadows

i think one of our pitfalls is in thinking the one ness won’t work unless we focus on working together.. but perhaps that’s a red flag that we’re not trusting the one ness in the first place.. perhaps what we need more.. or at least first.. is to trust ie: 8b daily curiosities to be unconditionally enough .. for the dance to dance

10 min – so interconnectedness first motivation for radical shift from me to we.. but second motivation that would make me take care of someone even if i had nothing to gain.. and that’s love

see.. i think .. thinking we need motivation is a red flag we’re doing it wrong

interconnectedness and love definitely key.. but not as motivations to get us to do something we don’t think we’d do otherwise..

perhaps they could detox us.. but not fast enough to get back in sync

ie: being in love.. moves focus of attention from taking care of you but taking care of both of you

14 min – happens naturally in tribes.. but harder on global scale.. but happening.. ie: giving pledge; ie: dustin moskowiz; .. lovingkindness becomes path to happiness.. after 75 000 yr only way to make you happier with money is to give

gift ness.. not deep enough.. and cancerous

15 min – if giving makes us so happy.. why is it so hard.. for some people.. not realistic.. if can’t have basic needs satisfied.. focusing on other people’s needs is not going to be an option.. but for those of us above poverty line.. i think it’s just day to day desires come up.. ie: fill something lacking.. try to acquire something to fill the voice.. only times i fell sustained real joy and flow is when i’m participating in something bigger than myself.. and contributing to its thriving

not really basic needs.. we have to go deeper ie: maté basic needs

ideas not new.. but what is new is tech as a leverage.. tech means we can zoom out and for first time in history actually affect systems at a global scale

yeah.. i’d maybe say it more like: for first time in history we have the detox.. to get back to the ability to for our natural global dance

ie: ‘in undisturbed ecosystems ..the average individual, species, or population, left to its own devices, behaves in ways that serve and stabilize the whole..’ –Dana Meadows

17 min – if we do this mindfully.. possibilities are astounding.. we in this room have greater capacity to change the world than kings/presidents of just 50 yrs ago

rest of talk.. look at 4 critical systems and how they change when the actors in systems change from me to we: ecology; nations; business; tech

i’d say at least nations and business aren’t critical systems

17 min – eco: me philosophy is that world is supply and sewer; we.. making strives: electric cars; bio tar; et al

18 min – nations: me.. pledge allegiance to your country against all others.. we.. zooms out and sees common ancestry.. sees all war is civil war..

19 min – business: me.. profit.. we.. improve world.. corp can be powerful for positive impact.. ie: coursera bringing everyone ed.. money is means rather than ends.. capitalism can be a beautifully efficient system for resource allocation.. zoom out.. we’re effectively one company..

even if were one company.. we’d still be wasting so much energy on accounting for allocations et al on counties moneys

let’s try/code money (any form of measuring/accounting) as the planned obsolescence

w/ubi as temp placebo.. needs met w/o money..people forget about measuring

23 min – tech: me .. start co to sell or ipo.. social gain.. we.. sees tech as leverage/design to human thriving.. solving way no one else is solving.. we is growing.. larry/sergie.. don’t be evil; lyft; fb.. more to create avenues for engagements across nations; et al.. while working there i never heard anyone talking about getting rich.. like button.. min effort required to transmit love.. like button.. that’s why there’s no dislike button despite fb’s most requested feature

27 min – communication tech enable us to harness interconnectedness and coordinate collective action..t

indeed.. we just haven’t done that yet for everyone.. has to be everyone or it won’t work

what we need first is a means to undo our hierarchical listening

ie: as it could be.. a means to listen to & connect 8b people everyday..

asana takes this to extreme.. what is business et al could coord as limbs of body..

super.. but has to be 8b people.. everyday.. or it won’t work

let’s go more extreme.. ie: 2 convers as infra

29 min – imagine what we can accomplish together.. the climax of human communication tech and mission of asana.. is when all humanity can coord collective action seamlessly w/o effort.. what if all of humanity engage in one project.. just requires us coming together over a common vision for a thriving sustainable humanity

spot on thinking.. deeper than asana though man

what’s the role of me in we.. find role that fits each of us

art (by day/light) and sleep (by night/dark) as re\set.. to fittingness/undisturbed ecosystem

31 min – for majority .. don’t yet have this opp.. those of us at top of hierarchy of needs.. must no longer talk/feel love.. but must work/fight for love in most impassioned/leveraged ways we know how.. we (as experts) are the ones driving this bus.. must fix

what we need is a means for all to be free.. today.. not for some experts to fix us.. even if they try to with a most impassioned love.. that’s not enough

let go

wish you could hear me

so vital to undo our hierarchical listening .. rather than keep trying to help/save/finance others

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find/follow Justin:

Designer & engineer of software, companies, culture, & systems in service of (heart – so love?). Coinvented @Asana, Google Drive, Gchat, Facebook Pages, Like button, @oneproject

one project founder

part of time well spent team [new name.. center for humane tech.. so added new page.. and will be adding updates there..]

on wikipedia

Justin is co-founder of asana:

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somebody’s fb share (don’t remember who) – article on Justin and Tristan and others.. 2017

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/05/smartphone-addiction-silicon-valley-dystopia

Google, Twitter and Facebook workers who helped make technology so addictive are disconnecting themselves from the internet. Paul Lewis reports on the Silicon Valley refuseniks alarmed by a race for human attention
like Rosenstein, several years ago put in place the building blocks of a digital world from which they are now trying to disentangle themselves. “It is very common,” Rosenstein says, “for humans to develop things with the best of intentions and for them to have unintended, negative consequences.”

Harris is the student who went rogue; a whistleblower of sorts, he is lifting the curtain on the vast powers accumulated by technology companies and the ways they are using that influence.

“I don’t know a more urgent problem than this,” Harris says. “It’s changing our democracy, and it’s changing our ability to have the conversations and relationships that we want with each other.”

let’s try this..

ie: hlb via 2 convos that io dance.. as the day..[aka: not part\ial.. for (blank)’s sake…].. a nother way

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