Naval Ravikant on the right reasons to start a company

September 22, 2025

“I really just wanted to be a founder,” Naval confesses with respect to the first few companies he started. “That desire kind of overrode everything… It was not a pure motivation.”

Then his motivation shifted to money and power:

“Nobody wants to talk about it, but [money and power] are fundamental drivers,” he admits. “I want to make money, and I want a company that has an influence. And that wasn’t that great of a motivation either.”

Naval continues:

“Now looking back in my career, I was most successful when I did projects because I was genuinely curious about them… Following my own intellectual curiosity gave me insight that led to good investments, startups, and outcomes.”

Today Naval is in a position where he doesn’t have to do things for money or status, so he only works on products he wants to see exist:

“What’s a beautiful thing I can make that wouldn’t exist if I didn’t put effort into it?” he asks himself. “And what people do I want to spend all my time around?”

Naval reflects:

“The truth is that when your material desires are somewhat met, you end up extremely bored… When you don’t have to hustle for a living, you’re like, ‘What do I do?’ You’ve lost your purpose in life. You can go meditate in a corner for a long time, but that gets boring too. You can go completely hedonistic, but that’s a death trap and just an empty lifestyle.”

He continues:

“What I want to do is self-actualize. I want to be the best version of myself. And what does the best version of myself mean? That means creating something. It’s better to create than to consume. It’s far more fulfilling to learn along the way and build… And I want to do it with friends — people that I really respect, admire, and enjoy spending time with… I wish I had that motivation and insight 20-30 years ago.”