How 3.7 Million Words Built a Career: Lessons from Patrick McKenzie

This week, I talk with Patrick McKenzie, better known online as “patio11.” Patrick has built an impressive career by sharing his insights publicly, with more than three million words published to date. From his years at Stripe to his current sabbatical, Patrick’s journey proves that the “traditional path” is not always the best one. We explore how his love for systems thinking and complex problem-solving has shaped his career. He shares candidly about his 20 years in Japan, navigating work-life balance, his evolving thoughts on autonomy, and how writing has opened doors to unexpected opportunities. Known for his deep dives into topics you didn’t realize you cared about, Patrick brings fresh perspectives on tech, culture, and finding meaning in work. Let’s get to it!

In this episode:

(00:00) - Intro
(03:10) - Why gaming is underrated for learning real-world skills
(06:21) - Why do thieves steal soap?
(08:54) - Following intellectual curiosity
(13:18) - Call centers and organizational systems
(22:39) - Lessons from 20 years in Japan
(28:30) - The salaryman
(37:08) - Patrick's transition to entrepreneurial ventures
(39:09) - How to know what to keep and what to change
(42:14) - Dealing with career uncertainty
(52:08) - Professionals vs amateurs
(57:14) - Lessons from Stockfighter
(01:01:07) - Stripe and stepping into the void
(01:21:50) - The impact of writing and sharing knowledge
(01:26:30) - The relationship between community and impact

Key Takeaways

Use Games as Learning Tools: Patrick emphasizes the educational power of games like Factorio, which develop skills like systems thinking and problem-solving in ways that can be transferred to real-world operations, much like a less formal apprenticeship.
Complex Systems Make the World Go ‘Round: From retail call centers to supply chains, Patrick stresses that many inefficiencies aren’t necessarily due to incompetence but are often the results of cost-control decisions and trade-offs. Recognizing these complexities can lead to more empathy for people within these systems.
Choose Work with Autonomy and Agency: Patrick values roles that provide freedom to make meaningful decisions. He discusses how environments with autonomy can foster personal growth and job satisfaction, contrasting it with his early career in Japan, where such independence was rare.
Seek Balance and Prioritize Family: After years in intense work environments, Patrick’s sabbatical reflects his effort to balance career and family. He recognizes the need to make decisions that align with his current life stage. It’s ok to adjust priorities as life changes.
Networking and Generosity with Boundaries: Known for his willingness to mentor others, Patrick has recently refined his approach to manage his commitments better. He’s gone from having hundreds of coffee meetings every year to creating more boundaries to ensure that time spent helping others still leaves room for his personal goals and family needs.

Quotes

“You can adopt part of the script at a particular phase in your life without needing to necessarily consider that as the only live script available for you over the course of your entire working career.” ~ Patrick McKenzie

“Operation science is a good thing to get good at in the world. And games are surprisingly underrated for learning cross-applicable skills in the real world. We do it as children. We use games to teach people math, the alphabet, etc. Then we kind of abandon that as adults, and I think that's a shame.” ~ Patrick McKenzie

“A great deal of the values that I've created by writing over the years is not breaking new ground on humanity’s understanding of things, but taking things that are well understood in particular places and exporting them to places where they are less well understood. You don't need to feel like you're the only person who has ever worked in a subject to create value writing about that subject.” ~ Patrick McKenzie

“I think we have complex moral intuitions about equality and egalitarianism—you can be whatever you want to be, any kid could grow up to be the president, etc.—and those intuitions sometimes cause us to suboptimize when we're making decisions in real life.” ~ Patrick McKenzie

Links