Patrick McKenzie

Software entrepreneur and writer, formerly at Stripe (Atlas). Known for his newsletter Bits about Money and his earlier essays on software business, salary negotiation, and consulting.

Influences & Inspirations

Based on primary sources — interviews, essays, and posts where Patrick directly cited these thinkers as influences.

Joel Spolsky
His Business of Software forum gave McKenzie his first community of software entrepreneurs.
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Paul Graham
Cites Graham's essay on wealth creation, specifically "Measurement and Leverage," as formative.
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Thomas Ptacek
Co-founder at Starfighter and key advisor; taught McKenzie to charge weekly for consulting.
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Matt Levine
Called his "North Star for when I grow up"; Money Stuff is the aspirational model for Bits about Money.
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Recommends

Who Patrick thinks you should be reading.

Recommended By

Writers who vouch for Patrick.

Patrick McKenziePatrick Collison

Key Works