Om Malik: Pioneering Blogs (Part 6)
Check other articles in the series...Om stayed with Forbes for several years, helping it become an established online venue. He then left to join a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley amidst the madness of the late Dotcom era.
SM: At Forbes, for the first time you were working in an American professional environment, right? OM: Yes. This was more like having the family touch, yet working with serious pros and people who were very serious about their craft. That was eye opening for me, and I really enjoyed working there and learned a lot. In 1999 I realized there was a boom going on, and I thought I should go tap in on that. I think that was the first time I made a move driven by greed, rather than logic and passion. I joined Hambrecht & Quist, Asia Pacific and became an investment manager looking to do deals. Within three months I realized what a disaster that was for me.
SM: That moved you to San Francisco, correct? OM: Yes. To be honest I think a lot of people do things for money, and it is the stupidest thing we can do for ourselves. In hindsight, I think it is the dumbest thing I could have done. A lot of people do that. Everybody thinks that money is the answer, but I think it is not. What made me tick was writing, that is what I was born to do. How can you ignore your natural animal instinct?
SM: You came to San Francisco, and how long did you last at H&Q? OM: Eight months precisely. After that I went to work for Red Herring, which was great. It was another great place to work.
SM: This was right around when the market was crashing, right? OM: I still joke with folks that when you hire journalists as VCs, the market will crash. I quit in August of 2000 and started to work for Red Herring. I think my first piece for them was something about the bursting of the optical bubble. I was naturally inclined to be a reporter. That was a great gig. You are writing about these things, and the market was still going gang busters.
SM: The optical market did not crash until 2001. OM: Yes, it was interesting to be there when it did.
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