Internet
What does Internet do that other agencies don’t?
I don’t even think there’s a specific skill set we have that’s so unique. At the end of the day we’re just designing and developing products, or designing for other people — and a lot of people do that. Mouthwash, Playlab, they’ll design for others. There are consumer app studios that’ll make a calorie tracking app, a journaling app. But there are very few people who combine both and do it well: really good design, a good idea, and good distribution.Of course there are people out there. MSCHF is a good example — great design team, great ideas, and also super viral. I feel like having all three of those things is really important, and Internet tries to have all three in everything we do. At 1000%.
What’s the thing about running an agency nobody warns you about?
For me personally, knowing when to outsource. Truthfully there are a lot of things I could be outsourcing that I just enjoy doing — or even if I don’t fully enjoy it, I know I can do it well.So maybe the hardest part is finding the right people who share the same taste, the same vision, the same ethos. Getting them on board, and finding a synergy working with them. There are a lot of designers out there and a lot of developers, so there’s no shortage of that. It’s finding the ones who suit you and your vision exactly.
A product you wish you’d made?
Honestly bro, there are no wishes, because everything I wish for I’m going to do. If there’s something I wish I’d made, the beautiful thing is I can just make it. So everything I wished I’d made is what I’m making with Internet.
A project you turned down?
With Internet we have a consulting side where we design for other brands and businesses — quote unquote freelancing. There are some of those projects I’ll turn down because the budget might be great and the client super nice, but as a project it just isn’t interesting. There’s no edge, no x-factor, no place to be really creative and unique with it. If it’s bland or ordinary like that, I’ll most probably turn it down.
The hardest part of running Internet day to day?
Since we’re still in early stages, knowing what to put the most energy towards. There’s a bunch of tasks to be done, but recently I’ve been thinking a lot about identifying the highest leverage task and just attacking that.Right now that seems to be content and creating, rather than emails and setting up calls. What I’ve found is that by taking care of the highest leverage task, everything else pretty much gets solved and taken care of — and even if it doesn’t, you can use your leftover energy on that stuff rather than your main energy.
Questions by Grisha Obolenskiy, answers by Rohan Kadakia
Internet is the company that builds companies. We build beautiful, viral consumer software and products. We own a portfolio of physical and digital products with the aim of influencing culture.