person1984–

Patrick McKenzie

Disciplines:

Summary

American software engineer and writer — at Stripe — who writes under the handle 'patio11' on HackerNews and his blog — whose writing on software business, pricing, and Japan is some of the most practically useful in tech.

Core Contribution

Creates the most practically useful writing on software business economics — McKenzie's essays on pricing, salary negotiation, and the economics of software businesses have been read tens of millions of times and have directly affected how software founders think about monetization.

Key Spikes & Highlights

Lived in Japan for 10 years and wrote extensively about Japanese business practices — his account of how Japanese business culture differs from American (ceremony, consensus, decision by who is in the room) is the most accurate outsider account by a Westerner who actually worked in Japanese business rather than just visiting
His salary negotiation essay is the most-read practical guide to salary negotiation on the internet — its core insight (never give a number first, the negotiation begins at the offer not the application) has been cited by people who increased their salary by six figures using his advice

Notable Works & Achievements

Blog essays at kalzumeus.com

Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued

Pieces of the Action

Historical Influences

Paul Graham Joel Spolsky

Intellectual Lineage

Decatur, Illinois Washington University in St. Louis Japan Stripe

Contemporaries & Peers

Tyler Cowen Dwarkesh Patel

Minds Influenced

Software business thinking

Intellectual Posterity

patio11 Salary negotiation guide Bingo Card Creator

Discussing