The Reputation Graph of Silicon Valley | Introducing Cosign

The value of peer endorsements over traditional credentials like Stanford degrees is highlighted, with endorsements from figures like Patrick Collison or Elon Musk seen as more impressive.

The announcement of Cosign as a new product built around professional reputation for the startup community is made.

A story is shared about how a Twitter account can be more valuable than a college education for career advancement, highlighting the "proof of work" aspect of social platforms.

The concept of a "co-sign" as a peer-to-peer credential, an endorsement signaling a person's worth tracking and following, is explained.

The idea that investing in a company is a form of co-sign signal and that there are many other ways to express this signal is discussed.

The desired endorsements on Cosign profiles are detailed: who shaped your career, who you'd work with in the trenches, and who is a personal watch list.

Information asymmetry in venture capital and hiring is discussed, emphasizing the difficulty and time required to find reliable signals about people and companies.

A past newsletter curating startup job postings is mentioned as a less scalable version of what Cosign aims to achieve.

The increasing noise in the startup landscape makes authentic signals more important, especially for entry-level talent evaluating job offers.

Examples of specific endorsements on the platform, like Peggy McCormick's curated list of deep tech companies, are used to illustrate the value of curated reputation.

The most important skill in the industry is identified as the ability to identify things, particularly people, before the market does.

The concept of "co-signing" is described as taking responsibility and putting one's reputation on the line for another person, lubricating social capital.

More granular ways of expressing reputation, beyond simple connections, are explored, referencing a conference event where attendees could select who they wanted to meet.

Cosign enables a private signal that is more granular than just wanting to meet someone, including willingness to fund or hire.

The ability to codify endorsements for specific skills (e.g., designers, PR professionals) allows for more targeted and effective connections.

The distinction between private and public signals on Cosign is discussed, with the platform aiming to make reputation durable and visible.

The challenge of matching needs and skills at the right time due to timing discrepancies in networks is addressed.

The focus of the Cosign feed on questions and announcements, differentiating by making reputation durable, is explained.

The importance of authentic endorsements based on actual experience, not just hearsay, is emphasized.

The idea of going beyond founders to celebrate the contributions of designers, engineers, and other team members is highlighted.

The "Rise Awards" are mentioned as an initiative to recognize the often-unseen operators behind successful companies.

The concept of a "trusted graph" of connections and endorsements that fades over time on platforms like LinkedIn is contrasted with Cosign's aim for more durable signals.

Cosign aims to make the reputation market more efficient and liquid by addressing information asymmetry and making reputation more visible.

The "social CV" is discussed as a concept for leveraging networks to enhance job applications and job searches.

Existing platforms like X and LinkedIn are analyzed for their strengths and weaknesses in capturing professional reputation and connections.

The evolution of LinkedIn from a strong trusted graph to a broader, less signal-rich network is described.

The concept of "socially enhanced" job applications and the value of annotated resumes leveraging network connections is explored.

The idea of a hierarchy of connections and the need for more granular context beyond a simple "connected" status on LinkedIn is presented.

The role of agents in accumulating context around a person's talent and the limitations of current methods are discussed.

The difficulty of sifting through vast amounts of information in an age of endless outreach and AI is highlighted, making human endorsement scarce and valuable.

The distinction between LinkedIn's focus on personal identity and Cosign's focus on professional reputation is drawn.

The desire for more granular, context-rich network information, akin to "MySpace Top 8" for business, is expressed.

The persistent dominance of LinkedIn despite attempts to compete with it is acknowledged, with high switching costs and network density as key factors.

The different user motivations for using professional networks – those actively seeking opportunities and those who might be open to the right offer – are considered.

The concept of a 20-year network effect, exemplified by LinkedIn, and the challenge of moving users to new platforms are discussed.

Opportunities for niche platforms focusing on specific roles like talent scouts or founders are explored, potentially creating "bigger LinkedIn" for specific tastes in people.

Cosign is seen not as a direct LinkedIn competitor, but as a way to aggregate existing latent information in the Silicon Valley and tech industry.

The "pay it forward" culture of Silicon Valley and the belief in individuals with unique insights are seen as core values Cosign aims to capture.

The initial focus of AngelList on companies, investors, and talent is referenced as inspiration, with a desire to bring back a public social network for this niche.

Cosign is inspired by Wikipedia's model of user-generated profiles and the ability to create aspirational profiles for people.

The use of AI to generate information and recreate a professional graph is mentioned as a key enabler for Cosign.

The value of positive signals and curated information from public sources is highlighted, with Cosign aiming to compile this uniquely.

Cosign acts as an invitation for users to contribute and build profiles together, fostering a collaborative approach to reputation.

The significance of "co-signs" from respected figures in the industry, such as Paul Graham endorsing Sam Altman, is illustrated with historical examples.

The meritocratic nature of Silicon Valley and the ability for talented individuals, regardless of traditional experience, to gain recognition and build careers through co-signs is discussed.

A critique regarding the sharing of "alpha" (private knowledge of talent) is addressed by emphasizing the long-term benefits of co-signing individuals who may not be immediate opportunities but will remember the support later.

The importance of being the first to publicly believe in someone and its long-term impact on their career and future opportunities is discussed, referencing Brian Chesky and Airbnb.

The episode concludes by emphasizing the ongoing importance of social capital, positive mindset, and the potential for Cosign to capture these elements.