“You read these management books that say, 'These are the hard things about running a company.' But those aren't really the hard things. The hard things are when you have to layoff half your company, or you have to fire your best friend. Or you have to figure out a way not to go bankrupt.”

American businessman, investor, blogger, and author

Ben Horowitz is an American businessman, investor, blogger, and author. A technology entrepreneur of the late 20th and 21st centuries, he is best known as the co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz with Marc Andreessen. He previously co-founded Opsware, the enterprise software company where he served as president and chief executive officer before Hewlett-Packard acquired it in 2007. He also wrote The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers and What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture, books shaped by his experience with startups and business culture.