Letter to a new Sword

The following is a welcome letter for new Swords. I'm adding it here because it reflects our vibe, demeanor, and the idiosyncratic nature that characterizes Sword.

Paradoxically, or maybe not, this letter should be both our best and worst recruiting tool.

If you're looking to join Sword, read this. If by the end you're energized and you can't wait to start, then it means Sword is the right place for you. If you get the opposite feeling, then you probably shouldn't apply (and that's completely okay).

Enjoy.

"Hi X,

I wanted to share a bit of context on what you are walking into and why the work you will do here matters so much.

At many companies, "mission" is just marketing-speak used to add fake meaning to the work of building another SaaS tool or a new dopamine-inducing addictive App. Society needs some of those things to operate, and some of that work is valid (probably not the dopamine-inducing ones). But here, we have the distinct honor of waking up every day to do work that matters in a visceral, life-or-death way.

We have the privilege of using our talent to bring people back to life.

And I'm not being hyperbolic. Let me prove it to you with three examples:

In the last 20 years in the US, around 600,000 people died from an opioid overdose. Most of those journeys started with physical pain. It often begins with a small injury, a prescription, and then a very fast slope into addiction. We are fixing that problem at the root by treating pain when it happens in a safer, opioid-free way, so our patients are no longer dragged into addiction and can get the best pain care in the world without any barriers.

But physical pain isn't the only thing that stops people from living. Consider the new mother who cannot take her child to Disneyland because she cannot stand in a 30-minute line without the anxiety of incontinence after childbirth. By fixing that problem, we are not merely treating a clinical condition. We are giving her life back: the ability to experience true joy with her loved ones. Not a life lived in half, but a life lived in full.

And then there's the pain you can't see at all. Think about that teenager, living in angst and buried in depression, stuck between a therapy appointment every two weeks and pills that, in order to numb the bad, also numb the good. Going through life like a zombie. Now, thanks to Sword, he has access to world-class mental health care in the palm of his hand when he needs it, turning his mental health from crisis management into daily fortitude. Turning his life from darkness into a bright dawn.

These are just a few of the ways we're using AI to move healthcare into the future and change millions of lives around the world. Wherever healthcare is broken, wherever people are waiting too long or paying too much or suffering in silence, that's where we're headed next.

But work like this comes with a weight. With that privilege comes duty. Duty to do things the best way possible, with a high sense of excellence.

I won't lie to you. Sword isn't the easiest place to work. There's pressure to deliver. You're expected to act with urgency, to do things rather than talk about things. When you present something that isn't good enough, you'll hear that it's not good enough, and you'll be asked to do better. Sometimes that person will be me. Do not take that personally.

Take that as an invitation toward your greatness. That's how we all became great: when people told us "this isn't good enough, I believe in you, in your talent and your ability to get there." You are here because we believe you can reach a much higher level than where you are today.

And that's why we created a culture of dissent and intellectual honesty. We don't have elephants in the room or emperors with no clothes. Everyone knows where we're struggling and where we're excelling, because we have no problem calling that out.

When we're back and forth in heated discussion, we're not being aggressive. We're trying to find the truth. Be passionate. Put all that you are into the discussion. That tells us you care deeply about getting to the right answer (silence or passive agreement shows us the opposite).

Remember, from dissent comes discovery (and we're in the business of discovering new things).

That is why I care much more about candor and honesty than about being “nice” in a superficial way. If you disagree, say so. Swords calling me out and saying "I don't think you're thinking about that properly" or "I think that's bullshit" are welcomed here. We actually don't just encourage it. We cherish it. It does not matter if you joined last week or if you are the most junior person in the room. What matters is the quality of the thinking and the honesty of the discussion.

And that means the playing field is flat. You are judged by your best ideas, not by your title, your age, where you come from, or your tenure at Sword. If you are an intern and you have a better idea than mine, I want you to say it. Our job is to listen, change our minds if you are right, and make sure the best idea wins. That is how we get to the truth and build the best version of Sword.

For some people, this environment feels abrasive and bruising. For us, it is simply respect for the impact of our work. When a patient is waiting on the other side, good is not good enough and great is barely acceptable.

So, as you start your journey at Sword, my ask is simple:

• Aim high and do the best work of your life here. Be proud of what you're creating. If you're not proud, that means it's not ready.

• Act with urgency and ownership. Treat Sword like you're one of the founders. We'll reward you accordingly.

• Be candid, be intellectually honest, and speak up.

• Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take our mission incredibly seriously.

• Remember the privilege, honor and duty we have to our patients and to the world.

• Take risks. Be bold. Your worst ideas will be forgotten by tomorrow. Your best ideas will define your legacy here.

• Stay curious and explore. Seek new ways to do things better. Don't accept the status quo (either internally or externally) without asking if there's a better way.

And more importantly, have fun. That's when you unleash your creativity, that's when you spike and let your greatness come out.

One final note: we're not chasing a beautiful IPO (they're actually terribly boring). We're not optimizing for the next quarter. We're building something that lasts. Fifty years from now, we want to look back and see how we changed the world and the lives of millions of families.

That's a life's work worth doing.

My door is open. If you ever want to ask something or share a point of view, feel free to reach out.

Now let’s build this.

V"