--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m not an investor. I like to make…" description: "\"“I’m not an investor. I like to make technologies real that I think are important for the future and useful in some sort of way.”\" — Ashlee Vance" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/507/ashlee-vance-4672_investing_i-m-not-an-investor-i-like-to-make-techn_715798.jpg" --- # I’m not an investor. I like to make technologies real that… ![“I’m not an investor. I like to make technologies real that I think are important for the future and useful in some sort of way.” quote by Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/507/ashlee-vance-4672_investing_i-m-not-an-investor-i-like-to-make-techn_715798.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/507/ashlee-vance-4672_investing_i-m-not-an-investor-i-like-to-make-techn_715798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/507/ashlee-vance-4672_investing_i-m-not-an-investor-i-like-to-make-techn_715798.jpg) > ““I’m not an investor. I like to make technologies real that I think are important for the future and useful in some sort of way.”” [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He focuses on building impactful, future‑oriented tech rather than seeking financial returns. **In simple terms:** He builds useful tech, not investments. Key Takeaway Prioritize purpose over profit. Themes innovation future purpose Mood determined optimistic Type visionary motivational When to use this quote - startup launches - product design - R&D strategy Key Concepts technology development impact entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - How does purpose drive your tech choices? - What trade‑offs arise without profit focus? A Different Perspective May overlook financial sustainability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investor/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I figured maybe I had some talent as an investor… since it seemed like I was only a half-assed entrepreneur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mcclure/i-figured-maybe-i-had-some-talent-as-an-investor-since-it-seemed-like/) [Dave McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mcclure/) > [The average investor does significantly worse than a simple index... It's literally because of the way our brains are wired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-shaughnessy/the-average-investor-does-significantly-worse-than-a-simple-index-it/) [James O'Shaughnessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-shaughnessy/) > [If you are an investor who's retired and hopes to live off the income that your portfolio is generating, then we would focus just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-o-shaughnessy/if-you-are-an-investor-who-s-retired-and-hopes-to-live-off-the-income/) [James O'Shaughnessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-o-shaughnessy/) > [The most important quality for an investor is temperament, not intellect. You need a temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-most-important-quality-for-an-investor-is-temperament-not/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [If you're looking for investment you've got to think about what the investor gets from being involved with your business. A lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meaden/if-you-re-looking-for-investment-you-ve-got-to-think-about-what-the/) [Deborah Meaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meaden/) > [ “...he was telling me that our \[country's\] blood-soaked and atrocity-littered past was important but that the future didn't have to be its slave.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-moore/he-was-telling-me-that-our-country-s-blood-soaked-and-atrocity/) [Wes Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-moore/) > [The Voting Rights Act was, and still is, vitally important to the future of democracy in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coretta-scott-king/the-voting-rights-act-was-and-still-is-vitally-important-to-the/) [Coretta Scott King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coretta-scott-king/) > [It was important to me to put together a future history that would scan, and serve as the backdrop to the domestic story. Economics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/it-was-important-to-me-to-put-together-a-future-history-that-would/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I'm a great lover of children. I never thought that one day I'd actually be a father, but I'm very pleased that I changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-m-a-great-lover-of-children-i-never-thought-that-one-day-i-d/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [What seems to us serious, significant and important will, in future times, be forgotten or won't seem important at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/what-seems-to-us-serious-significant-and-important-will-in-future/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Children are extremely important. They are the future of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/children-are-extremely-important-they-are-the-future-of-the-world/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [We are all living history, and it’s hard to say now what will be important in the future. One thing’s certain, though: if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-johnson/we-are-all-living-history-and-it-s-hard-to-say-now-what-will-be/) [Marilyn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-johnson/) > [I consider video games a form of design that is amazingly important today and that is going to become even more important in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paola-antonelli/i-consider-video-games-a-form-of-design-that-is-amazingly-important/) [Paola Antonelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paola-antonelli/) > [What is important is the future. After 40 years of creation, I continue. This is what I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-charles-de-castelbajac/what-is-important-is-the-future-after-40-years-of-creation-i-continue/) [Jean-Charles de Castelbajac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-charles-de-castelbajac/) > [As you think about the workforce of the future, women and minorities are such an important part of that future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-engelbert/as-you-think-about-the-workforce-of-the-future-women-and-minorities/) [Cathy Engelbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-engelbert/) ## More by Ashlee Vance > [“Thought Leadership “Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future” Book by Ashlee Vance “Take risks now and do something bold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/thought-leadership-elon-musk-tesla-spacex-and-the-quest-for-a/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“He points out that one of the really tough things is figuring out what questions to ask,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/he-points-out-that-one-of-the-really-tough-things-is-figuring-out/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Musk sits somewhere on the autism spectrum and that he has trouble considering other people’s emotions and caring about their well-being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/musk-sits-somewhere-on-the-autism-spectrum-and-that-he-has-trouble/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“He’s less a CEO chasing riches than a general marshaling troops to secure victory. Where Mark Zuckerberg wants to help you share baby photos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/he-s-less-a-ceo-chasing-riches-than-a-general-marshaling-troops-to/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“sometimes at the Sheraton hotel in Palo Alto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/sometimes-at-the-sheraton-hotel-in-palo-alto/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Throughout these early years, the engineers credited Eberhard with making quick, crisp decisions. Rarely did Tesla get hung up overanalyzing a situation. The company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/throughout-these-early-years-the-engineers-credited-eberhard-with/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“When Musk is present, the chats tend toward the absurd and fantastic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/when-musk-is-present-the-chats-tend-toward-the-absurd-and-fantastic/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Whereas if they change a rule and something good happens, they don’t even get a reward. So, it’s very asymmetric. It’s then very easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/whereas-if-they-change-a-rule-and-something-good-happens-they-don-t/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“I might have fixed that thing but now I’ve made the person unproductive. It just wasn’t a good way to go about things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/i-might-have-fixed-that-thing-but-now-i-ve-made-the-person/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Like Steve Jobs before him, Musk is able to think up things that consumers did not even know they wanted—the door handles, the giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/like-steve-jobs-before-him-musk-is-able-to-think-up-things-that/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Musk pulled Justine close while they danced, and informed her, “I am the alpha in this relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/musk-pulled-justine-close-while-they-danced-and-informed-her-i-am-the/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“for Musk, the distinction between stumbling into something and having intent is important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/for-musk-the-distinction-between-stumbling-into-something-and-having/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Well, we will decide we’re going into production and then a miracle is going to happen,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/well-we-will-decide-we-re-going-into-production-and-then-a-miracle-is/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“You don’t tell Elon you can’t do something. That will get you kicked out of the room”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/you-don-t-tell-elon-you-can-t-do-something-that-will-get-you-kicked/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) > [“Founded in June 2002, Space Exploration Technologies came to life in humble settings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-vance/founded-in-june-2002-space-exploration-technologies-came-to-life-in/) [Ashlee Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) [Explore all 91 Ashlee Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-vance/) ## More Investing quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [That's one of the things about the NFL is that you have small-market teams, big-market teams. I feel like the bigger market teams do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-s-one-of-the-things-about-the-nfl-is-that-you-have-small-market/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/) [Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/) > [I'll invest my money in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-keith-kellogg/i-ll-invest-my-money-in-people/) [Will Keith Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-keith-kellogg/) [Browse all 13,164 Investing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’m not an investor. 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