> Don't probe for details on this anecdote, please, as it is brought to you by the letters N, D, and A and the number $LOTS.
Then don't tell us the story. You signed an NDA.
You've created a persuasive, socially powerful HN persona (and I'm sure your consulting income thanks you for it), but at what cost? To gain authority you need to make claims for it and back it up with evidence, otherwise nobody cares. So bragging comes with the territory. To keep up your reputation you are forced to write phrases like "Fortune 500" or "7 figures." No problem.
I'm not criticizing you for it. I'm curious. You obviously made a personal choice to engage in personal branding, so why'd you do it? Does it feel liberating to be so open? Or does it feel tiresome, like you're trapped on a treadmill powering your reputation?
Then don't tell us the story. You signed an NDA.
You've created a persuasive, socially powerful HN persona (and I'm sure your consulting income thanks you for it), but at what cost? To gain authority you need to make claims for it and back it up with evidence, otherwise nobody cares. So bragging comes with the territory. To keep up your reputation you are forced to write phrases like "Fortune 500" or "7 figures." No problem.
I'm not criticizing you for it. I'm curious. You obviously made a personal choice to engage in personal branding, so why'd you do it? Does it feel liberating to be so open? Or does it feel tiresome, like you're trapped on a treadmill powering your reputation?