--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: VCs usually spend even more time on the…" description: "\"“VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic companies”\" — Peter Thiel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png" --- # VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic… ![“VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic companies” quote by Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png) > ““VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic companies”” [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Venture capitalists tend to focus excessive time on companies that are already problematic, possibly neglecting better opportunities. **In simple terms:** VCs often dwell on problematic firms. Key Takeaway Be wary of over‑focusing on trouble. Themes investment focus risk strategy Mood thoughtful analytical Type business critical When to use this quote - startup evaluation - portfolio management - risk assessment Key Concepts finance business analysis Questions to Reflect On - Why do VCs linger on troubled firms? - How can investors balance attention? A Different Perspective May ignore the need for due diligence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I did customer service for a company. I hated it, as the customers knew they were building problematic systems!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-did-customer-service-for-a-company-i-hated-it-as-the-customers-knew/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I think it's a problem that we don't have more companies like Facebook. It shouldn't be the only company that's doing this well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/i-think-it-s-a-problem-that-we-don-t-have-more-companies-like/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [..why is it that in problematic situations almost everyone resorts to axioms and societal remedies that in actuality almost nobody believes in?...ask yourself, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-is-it-that-in-problematic-situations-almost-everyone-resorts-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I look at life as a one-time opportunity, and you have to take pleasure in each moment, even if it is very problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-gersht/i-look-at-life-as-a-one-time-opportunity-and-you-have-to-take/) [Ori Gersht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-gersht/) > [The 14th Amendment was recognized right away to be problematic. The concept of person was both too narrow and too broad, and the courts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-14th-amendment-was-recognized-right-away-to-be-problematic-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“I’m glad we’re not alone, but don’t like that there are a lot of people. It’s kind of problematic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-sorensen/i-m-glad-we-re-not-alone-but-don-t-like-that-there-are-a-lot-of/) [Jessica Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-sorensen/) > [The most problematic word in America is the word "problematic." It's a wuss word used by people to silence language without actually saying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/the-most-problematic-word-in-america-is-the-word-problematic-it-s-a/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The beauty of a free society is that someone slightly less gifted who works harder than usual can rise; the burden of a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shapiro/the-beauty-of-a-free-society-is-that-someone-slightly-less-gifted-who/) [Ben Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shapiro/) > [Everything becomes so problematic because of basic faults: from a discontent with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/everything-becomes-so-problematic-because-of-basic-faults-from-a/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Physical pain is problematic because it's very difficult to transcend that. Sometimes you're just in physical pain, and that's a bummer. Even then, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ebert/physical-pain-is-problematic-because-it-s-very-difficult-to-transcend/) [Alex Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ebert/) > [I think that both pornography and the imposition (common in some areas of the world) of a dress code on women are problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-assiter/i-think-that-both-pornography-and-the-imposition-common-in-some-areas/) [Alison Assiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-assiter/) > [I've run into women who can be highly problematic, detrimental, and mean, just like I've seen that in men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-ve-run-into-women-who-can-be-highly-problematic-detrimental-and/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I can see why the UFC would picture me as being a bit problematic, because I do say what I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/i-can-see-why-the-ufc-would-picture-me-as-being-a-bit-problematic/) [Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/) ## More by Peter Thiel > [People don't want to believe that technology is broken. Pharmaceuticals, robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology - all these areas where the progress has been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/people-don-t-want-to-believe-that-technology-is-broken/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you think about basic science or coming up with new theories of mathematics, these are not the kinds of things which are necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-think-about-basic-science-or-coming-up-with-new-theories-of/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [I think we have a bubble in the US in government bonds, because of the quantitative easing and the negative real interest rates, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/i-think-we-have-a-bubble-in-the-us-in-government-bonds-because-of-the/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Time and decision-making themselves follow a power law, and some moments matter far more than others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/time-and-decision-making-themselves-follow-a-power-law-and-some/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today, we exaggerate the differences between left-liberal egalitarianism and libertarian individualism because almost everyone shares their common indefinite attitude. In philosophy, politics, and business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-we-exaggerate-the-differences-between-left-liberal/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [When you already have $150 billion a year in revenues from the iPhone, it's very hard to come up with any new vertical that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/when-you-already-have-150-billion-a-year-in-revenues-from-the-iphone/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“CREATIVE MONOPOLY means new products that benefit everybody and sustainable profits for the creator. Competition means no profits for anybody, no meaningful differentiation, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/creative-monopoly-means-new-products-that-benefit-everybody-and/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“we have given up our sense of wonder at secrets left to be discovered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/we-have-given-up-our-sense-of-wonder-at-secrets-left-to-be-discovered/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Today our society is permeated by the twin ideas that death is both inevitable and random.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/today-our-society-is-permeated-by-the-twin-ideas-that-death-is-both/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“if your company can be summed up by its opposition to already existing firms, it can’t be completely new and it’s probably not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-your-company-can-be-summed-up-by-its-opposition-to-already/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Is a lukewarm attitude to one’s work a sign of mental health? Is a merely professional attitude the only sane approach?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/is-a-lukewarm-attitude-to-one-s-work-a-sign-of-mental-health-is-a/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“If you’ve invented something new but you haven’t invented an effective way to sell it, you have a bad business—no matter how good the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-ve-invented-something-new-but-you-haven-t-invented-an/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The business model piece is we're always talking about competing more effectively. If you're starting a company or career you don't want to compete.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/the-business-model-piece-is-we-re-always-talking-about-competing-more/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [If you invest in Microsoft or Oracle, or a number of other companies for that matter, you're fundamentally making a bet that there's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/if-you-invest-in-microsoft-or-oracle-or-a-number-of-other-companies/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [Our economy is broken. I'm not a politician, but neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it's time to rebuild America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/our-economy-is-broken-i-m-not-a-politician-but-neither-is-donald/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) [Explore all 257 Peter Thiel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) ## More Companies quotes > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Companies are bought for their revenue, customer base, technology, or people. A few great companies offer all of these, but any valuable business offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/companies-are-bought-for-their-revenue-customer-base-technology-or/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [There is no breach of European rules committed by companies from Romania or on Romanian territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-ponta/there-is-no-breach-of-european-rules-committed-by-companies-from/) [Victor Ponta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-ponta/) > [My dad worked for different companies that made whiskey for a long time, so we were definitely whiskey drinkers. Growing up, my friends would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krieger/my-dad-worked-for-different-companies-that-made-whiskey-for-a-long/) [Mike Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krieger/) > [A lot of companies are global.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/a-lot-of-companies-are-global/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [Companies are the first to see the costs of climate change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/companies-are-the-first-to-see-the-costs-of-climate-change/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) > [As they grow, companies saturate their markets, become more complex and difficult to manage, and face larger and more entrenched competitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/as-they-grow-companies-saturate-their-markets-become-more-complex-and/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The vast majority of debt that Anglo maintains is owed is strenuously disputed. However, I cannot now pay those loans which are due, following…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-quinn/the-vast-majority-of-debt-that-anglo-maintains-is-owed-is-strenuously/) [Sean Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-quinn/) > [“FINAO. My word for my companies. Failure Is Not An Option.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/finao-my-word-for-my-companies-failure-is-not-an-option/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [In general, drug companies are reasonably good at developing new treatments, and there's also a lot of good in the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/in-general-drug-companies-are-reasonably-good-at-developing-new/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [The companies that are the most influential and most successful are the ones that care about impact and the influence they have on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-buchheit/the-companies-that-are-the-most-influential-and-most-successful-are/) [Paul Buchheit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-buchheit/) > [Remember: there are no MVPs on a losing team. You will always be a part of some team. Families are teams. Companies are teams.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-d-smith/remember-there-are-no-mvps-on-a-losing-team-you-will-always-be-a-part/) [Brad D. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-d-smith/) > [It's no surprise companies that quickly grow in value attract those who may want to also profit from the hard work of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/it-s-no-surprise-companies-that-quickly-grow-in-value-attract-those/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) > [Alternative services would mean that there would be services available to compete with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Skype, etc., and they would be run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/alternative-services-would-mean-that-there-would-be-services/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) [Browse all 981 Companies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic companies”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Thiel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the-most-problematic-companies/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Companies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the-most-problematic-companies/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/peter-thiel-1311_companies_vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the_3027535.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“VCs usually spend even more time on the most problematic companies” — Peter Thiel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Peter Thiel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“VCs usually spend even more time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the-most-problematic-companies/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/vcs-usually-spend-even-more-time-on-the-most-problematic-companies/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```