I read and have been thinking about Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal, which is an excellent book. I enjoy reading detailed accounts of the journeys of impactful people and companies. Twitter’s impact has been profound and the journey to create the company was full of twists and turns. Here are a few takeaways:

• Pivot – Great things can come from pivoting a company. Twitter is a prime example.
• Politics – As organizations become large, politics can take a toll on them. Building and reinforcing a strong culture is critical as you scale.
• Founders – Founders’ relationships aren’t always pretty and in fact can get downright ugly. The severity of Twitter’s founders’ issues surprised me.
• Values – Morals and values matter. Be sure to include them in your evaluation criteria when you’re considering co-founders and early key team members.

I don’t know how accurate Hatching Twitter is, but it’s a great read. It offers a much-needed dose of realism about what building something great is like: It’s difficult. It’s full of emotional highs and lows. Conflicts are unavoidable and must be overcome. But when people do it for the right reasons and persevere, the impact on society can be huge.