First off as a rule of thumb, I generally avoid talking about people. In the rare case I do, it's only if I've had significant experience with them.<p>As an operating partner with Khosla Ventures for the past two years, below are a couple things that I respect about Vinod that entrepreneurs may misinterpret in all the tech gossip.<p>1) Bold leadership
Rather than be in the business of doing "deals," putting money in, getting money out - Vinod is truly in the business of building companies with meaningful impact on the world.<p>Research KV's portfolio and you'll see how Vinod is contributing to fundamental human needs in food, agriculture, clean energy, healthcare and education among many other areas. He even setup an impact fund where others aren't investing. His leadership pushes me to focus on making a bigger and positive difference in people's lives.<p>Also read his perspective on Silicon Valley: <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/khosla-the-silicon-valley-vision/" rel="nofollow">http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/khosla-the-silicon-...</a>
To me, it was a healthy reminder not to be so small minded and uphold our larger purpose for innovation.<p>2) Honest feedback
I highly recommend you read Vinod's point of view on venture assistance and the role of board members before commenting on this thread:
<a href="http://www.khoslaventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Venture_Assistance1.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.khoslaventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Ven...</a><p>I admit, I've been in meetings where's he's given me candid, no BS feedback. Although sometimes it was uncomfortable to hear, ultimately I'm thankful because it made be a better entrepreneur and designer. I prefer honesty from someone who challenges me to be great rather than hypocritical politeness.<p>Think about all the great founders of our time, from Steve Jobs to Mark Zuckerberg - they all have strong points of view that not everyone can get along with but don't confuse this with being a jerk: <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/09/do-you-need-to-be-a-jerk-to-be-a-successful-entrepreneur/" rel="nofollow">http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/09/do-you-need-to-be-a-jerk-to...</a>