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D 5 · C 4 · P 4 · Cm 4 4.30
Q Brett, there's so many threads to pull through this. As you were working in the Middle East, one of the things in building great relationships is understanding cultural differences. What are some of the things that you learned from your time that an investor in the United States might not understand about the region?
A If you're face to face with anyone senior, try to understand what he or she across from you wants to do. Every country's different. The way Saudi Arabia is developing its data center build out its ambitions is different from what Abu Dhabi is doing. Trying to find that fit is important. It's not the easiest environment to raise capital right now. They are looking for opportunities that benefit themselves domestically as they're looking ahead with a young population, trying to create jobs, particularly in Saudi Arabia. I've been in and out of the region for so long. I have a decent sense for Where are these different leaders are trying to take their countries? And that can be Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Saudi, Iraq, Israel, Egypt. It's important to understand their objectives and then trying to find where interests can align.
AI assessment note: “Every country's different. The way Saudi Arabia is developing its data center build out”
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D 3 · C 3 · P 3 · Cm 2 2.85
Q I'm curious of the transition from public sector to private sector. This period of time you've been at Lux. What are some of the contrasts that you felt most acute?
A Looking back in the last 10 months, I've done a few things. First priority has been my family. I have a second grader, a little girl. I missed much of her the last four years. I've sought to reconnect, and it's been great. Family is beginning, middle, and the end, as President Biden used to say to us all the time, very much true. I'm writing a book about the last 20 years. Might come out next year. I'm a CNN analyst. I keep current with things. Joined Lux, and I've become a full, integrated member of that team, and I'm learning so much. What's so fascinating about it is the thought process. I've developed a disciplined way of approaching problems. Strategy, Ted, is the most overused word in Washington. What is strategy? The essence of it is aligning your objectives with your resource and how you're going to do it, and if that's not aligned, you're going to find yourself in trouble. I found if you're in the Oval Office or in the Situation Room, asking those hard questions, what exactly are you trying to achieve? How are we going to do it? What's our resource base? What are unintended consequences, risks, assumptions? I mean, all that, especially in military type decision making, war and peace decision making. The way Josh described venture, it might look like you're painting on such a broad canvas. You can make a lot of bets, some of which don't pan out, and yet the same thought…
AI assessment note: “You can make a lot of bets, some of which don't pan out”
