HoffmanSakhibova Family

The idea that a man should spend a significant fraction of his annual income for an engagement ring originated de novo from De Beers marketing materials in the mid-20th century, in an effort to increase the sale of diamonds.

In the 1930s, they suggested that a man should spend the equivalent of one month's income on the engagement ring; later they suggested that he should spend two months' income on it.

It's one of the most remarkable examples of manufactured demand in history — a company didn't just sell a product, they invented the cultural norm that required people to buy it. The engagement ring tradition as we know it is, at its core, a triumph of marketing over material reality.

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Some mid-week inspiration: a collection of breathtaking murals and public works of art on building facades from cities around the world.

What makes public art so powerful is that it meets people where they are — on the street, on the commute, in the places they pass every day without a second thought. A great mural transforms dead infrastructure into something alive.

For Patrick, with his architecture background, the intersection of art and the built environment has always been a subject of deep interest — the idea that buildings aren't just functional objects but canvases for civic expression.

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John Doerr's framework on two kinds of entrepreneurs:

"Mercenaries are driven by paranoia; missionaries are driven by passion. Mercenaries think opportunistically; missionaries think strategically. Mercenaries go for the sprint; missionaries go for the marathon. Mercenaries focus on their competitors and financial statements; missionaries focus on their customers and value statements."

The distinction matters deeply in product management — and it's one Patrick returns to often when coaching founders and PMs. Are you building because you see a market gap, or because you feel the problem in your bones?

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