Jeff Bezos Warns: Do This Before Starting a Company in Your 20s

Core Insights - The article discusses the phenomenon of young entrepreneurs who drop out of college, highlighting notable figures like Figma CEO Dylan Field and Scale founder Lucy Guo, the youngest self-made billionaire woman [1] - Jeff Bezos emphasizes that while exceptional young entrepreneurs exist, they should not be seen as typical role models, advocating for the value of experience before entrepreneurship [2][4] Group 1: Entrepreneurial Success and Age - The article notes that successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs often deviated from traditional educational paths, but this is not the norm [4] - A study by Clifford-Lewis Private Wealth indicates that the average age of founders in the top 0.1% of rapidly growing businesses is 45, suggesting a higher likelihood of success for entrepreneurs starting at age 30 compared to age 20 [5] Group 2: Importance of Professional Experience - Jeff Bezos founded Amazon at age 30 after gaining significant professional experience, including working at Wall Street firms and becoming the youngest vice president at D.E. Shaw [6] - Bezos attributes his success at Amazon to the ten years of experience he gained prior, which equipped him with the skills necessary to navigate the company's early growth [7]