Skilled

I get asked why I choose to remain anonymous on twitter. Haven't addressed it publicly before, so here's my thinking: First, there is no question that tweeting under my real identity would open up a world of opportunities. I know I'm leaving a lot on the table. That being said, this account started by accident. I opened it just under two years ago, 20 years into my career. There was no angle, no strategy - I just started tweeting one day and was very much caught off guard by the growth of the account. I'm proud of what our team has built over the years, I love my career, and I don't know what things would look like if I was suddenly "public." Many people use twitter to established themselves within their industries. They're building their personal brands in order to get their careers off the ground - which I think is amazing! For me, putting my identity out there comes with real carer risk. There are sure to be unintended consequences that are impossible to calculate. It might impact our ability to find deals, impact our relationships with your tenants, distract our team, or it might alter how our investors view us. I don't know what is behind that curtain. The other thing I think about a lot is privacy. I spend a fair amount of time walking around Manhattan with my wife and our three-year-old son. The thought of sitting at an ice cream shop with my son and being approached by a stranger makes me feel uneasy. Perhaps I'm more of an introvert than I realized, or maybe I'm overthinking all of this. But I know that the decision to make the switch and put your face and name out there is one-way. It's permanent. And once you flip that switch, there is no going back.