Measuring impact

Steve Jobs and Tony Fadell built a product that over a billion people use every day.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page print money with a platform that millions rely on daily.

And Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Aravind Srinivas (among others) aren't far behind.

Building projects that are used so widely is an outstanding way to spend one's days and leave a mark on the world. But just because your project isn’t as big or ambitious doesn’t mean it isn’t worth pursuing.

Even a small project can change lives—be it an app, a blog, a personal hobby, a small ‘unsuccessful’ nonprofit, or even a job that feels like it’s just paying the bills.

It’s easy to measure activity—what with users and downloads and queries and clicks.

It's much harder to measure impact.

Impact is ephemeral. It unfolds quietly, beyond what any dashboard can track, while subtly shaping thoughts, habits, and decisions in ways you may never see.

Don’t feel bad because your project’s small, super niche, or unprofitable. Often, the work that seems invisible or overlooked is exactly what the world most needs, but simply isn’t yet prepared to appreciate.