Ben Horowitz explains the difference between culture and values

Citing the Bushido (”the way of the warrior”), Ben Horowitz explains:

“A culture is not a set of beliefs. It’s a set of actions.”

That’s why the title of Ben’s book is “What You Do is Who You Are”:

“It’s not what you tweet. It’s not what you believe. It’s not the values on the wall. It’s what you do—that’s who you are.”

This is why the samurai called them virtues rather than values:

“It’s only a thing if you manifest it. If you believe it, it's nothing. If you put it on the wall, it's nothing. If you actually do it, and everybody does it, and you have cultural cohesion, then it's a virtue. “

Full video: Okta “A Conversation With Ben Horowitz, Author of "What You Do Is Who You Are"“ (Apr 2023)

P.S. We’ve put together a YouTube playlist with every Ben Horowitz insight we’ve ever shared. You can watch it here: "Best startup advice from Ben Horowitz"