Alex Litwin ‘12 Global Platform Partnerships, Stripe, History Major

In today’s episode, I am joined by Alex Litwin. This episode is an hour in length, but I promise you, it’s worth every single minute. Alex embodies two really important qualities young people should strive for: Listen to, and be honest with, yourself. Give yourself permission to pursue your honest intentions. Throughout this story, you’ll hear a lot about Alex listening to himself and not being afraid to share his goals. Whether it was choosing his major, taking time off from school, wanting to live in San Francisco over New York City, or recognizing burn-out, Alex stays true to himself and lets others know in a professional way. Alex started his career at VaynerMedia and received mentorship from both CEO Gary Vaynerchuk (look him up if you don’t know him) and now Chief Heart Officer Claude Silver. We talk about how he got there, what the conversation was like to ask to live in SF and not company headquarters in NYC, and what it was like to move on from the amazing opportunity to a bigger calling. He moved to Israel for some time and took on a demanding job, where he learned why doubling down on your strengths is important. He now works at one of the biggest tech companies you’ve never heard of. Enjoy! Time Stamps (a few highlights for easy reference):  23:35 minutes - getting a job at VaynerMedia, sitting down with Gary Vaynerchuk, and expressing wanting to move to San Francisco instead of New York City  27:23 - Alex talks about a mentor at Vayner Claude Silver Chief Heart Officer - she helped Alex realize to pursue what he loved 29:24 - How Gary’s advice helped me and why Google founder Larry Page looked for passions in people 31:15 how the Chief Heart Officer at Vayner Media became Alex’s mentor 32:31 - Alex Gary’s authenticity and receiving mentorship from the CEO