David Sze built his venture capital approach from years as a product operator at companies like Electronic Arts and Excite, where he managed hundreds of people through hypergrowth, giving him firsthand experience that most finance-background investors lack. He deliberately seeks out controversial investment opportunities that other partners might reject, leading Greylock's early bets on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Discord by focusing on founder quality and network effects rather than consensus deals. David Sze built his venture capital approach from years as a product operator at companies like Electronic Arts and Excite, where he managed hundreds of people through hypergrowth, giving him firsthand experience that most finance-background investors lack. He deliberately seeks out controversial investment opportunities that other partners might reject, leading Greylock's early bets on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Discord by focusing on founder quality and network effects rather than consensus deals.