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I was reading an opinion piece by Arash Ferdowsi, co-founder of an online storage company, Dropbox. While the piece’s thrust is about the important and long term relevance of immigrants to this country, I couldn’t help but focus on the role his parents played in helping build his future. And he isn’t alone.

Yesterday, when reading the S-11 filing from on-demand delivery service, DoorDash, this comment by founder Tony Xu pulled at my heartstrings.

“Mom put food on the table by working three jobs a day for 12 years. After deferring her dreams for more than a decade, she saved enough money to return to school and open her medical clinic.”

Success often is viewed as a singular achievement when, in reality, it is a cumulative result of many sacrifices. And there is none like the parents — especially the immigrant parents. I remind myself of that every weekend.

Every Saturday, almost like clockwork, before even I grind the beans of my coffee, I make a phone call — to my aging parents in India. We talk only for a few minutes, and it is mostly banal, but it is a great reminder of the many sacrifices they have made for me to get where I am today. I can’t forget the decisions they made. Every conversation is a reminder of clothes not bought, vacations not taken, and joy put on hold so I (and my siblings) could have a better life.

November 14, 2020, San Francisco

  1. DoorDash S-1 Filing[↩]

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Om Malik

Om Malik is a San Francisco based writer, photographer and investor. More....

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Letter from Om

A (nearly) bi-weekly dispatch about tech & future.

You will get my reporting, analysis, conversations, and curation of the essential information you need to make sense of the present future.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

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