The Architecture of Silence: Why It Is Useless to Look for Us

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«True power never knocks on closed doors. It simply changes the locks throughout the entire building while the occupants argue over the share price».

I know the expression on your face as you read these lines.

In your office on Place Vendôme, in Zurich or on Sand Hill Road, there is surely a faint scent of cold espresso right now. Your trusted analysts, legal departments and private agencies, for indecent fees, have already spent a sleepless night trying to reduce the name Olha Lysenkova (Dronova) to the usual formulas: Whose trust is this? Which fund stands behind the scenes? Who is this mysterious Dronov, and in which offshore havens should one look for traces of the syndicate?

Put down the phone, gentlemen. Drink some water. You will find nothing.

To search for a woman with a double surname through the closed databases of the old world is an entertaining pursuit, but an extremely ruinous one for your budget. You will find hundreds of women who quietly make jam in the suburbs, take their children to school or have an impeccable manicure. But the one who overturned your chessboard, you will not find on any Forbes list. Because lists of rich people are a vanity fair for those who need to prove their worth to other people's banks.

A lesson for old conglomerates and «generous investors»

For too long you have lived in the illusion that the world belongs to those with more floors of glass, longer compliance chains and louder marketing departments. You have herded people into your digital reservations, where between a condolence photograph and a painting from the Louvre pops up a discount on synthetic socks, and you have called this «progress» in all seriousness.

You have forgotten how to distinguish scale from fuss.

Once, a wealthy man with a patronizing smile asked me what gift I would like to receive. Men of your circle usually expect predictable feminine whims: another handbag, a piece of jewellery or a new phone to replace a broken one.
I looked at him and calmly replied: «I want to found my own company».

He smirked condescendingly: «Write a business plan, and I will consider investing».
I wrote it for two weeks. At night, without any help, after exhausting days of work. I placed before him a 68-page tome — with a full structure, calculations and formulas.

He leafed through it for a long while, gave a bewildered chuckle, and quibbled over the calculations:
— “And why are the formulas so basic?”
— “Basic because they can be found in textbooks. But the key formulas of success lie in my head, and I have no intention of revealing them before the contract is signed.”

And then this gentleman did what you, gentlemen investors, always do when confronted with a scale you cannot control. He took fright. He awkwardly averted his eyes and muttered:
— “I thought you were joking... You know, you're not ready for big money yet. Go work for a friend of mine, learn about life, and then, perhaps, we'll return to this conversation.”

I closed the folder and told him what I would remember for the rest of my life:
“I have no intention of spending my life on other people's friends. But mark this day: you refused to invest in me, and so I shall build my company myself — without taking a single cent from anyone.”.

Years passed.

MANIFESTO

“They said ‘no.’ I built an empire.
Simply because I can.”

Not a single investment. Not a single venture fund. Not a single compromise.

A Quiet Warning

VIA AD ME is not a startup. We do not play your investment rounds, we do not take your loans, and your boards of directors do not interest us.

✦  There are no algorithms here draining human attention.

✦  There is no advertising here, no info-business, no cheap tickets to the mass market.

✦  And above all: entry here is not sold for money.

মই জানো যে পুৰণি মূলধনৰ প্ৰথম প্ৰতিক্ৰিয়া সদায় হয় কিনিব বিচৰা, নহয় ভাঙি পেলাব বিচৰা — যি তেওঁলোকৰ সমন্বয় ব্যৱস্থাত নধৰে।

মই আপোনাক এই মাৰাত্মক ভুলৰ পৰা ৰক্ষা কৰিম: চেষ্টাও নকৰিব।

এনে এটা ব্যৱস্থাৰ বিৰুদ্ধে যুঁজ দিয়া, যিটো ব্যক্তিগত শক্তি, নিখুঁত গণিত আৰু মানৱ স্বভাৱৰ সম্পূৰ্ণ জ্ঞানৰ ওপৰত গঢ় লৈ উঠিছে — এইটো এনে এটা উদ্যোগ যাৰ ফলাফল নিশ্চিতভাৱে ঋণাত্মক। আপুনি আপোনাৰ লাখ লাখ ধন উকীল, অডিট, চাপ প্ৰয়োগৰ পিছত খৰচ কৰিব, কিন্তু শেষত বন্ধ দুৱাৰৰ আগত অকামী প্ৰতিবেদনৰ ফাইল লৈ থিয় হৈ থাকিব। ঠিক সেইদৰেই, সেই বিনিয়োগকাৰীয়ে তেওঁৰ দ্বিধাগ্ৰস্ত ধন লৈ বহি থাকিল।

মই শিকাৰী নহয়। শিকাৰীবোৰে ব্যস্ততা কৰে আৰু দাঁত দেখুৱায়, কাৰণ তেওঁলোকে ভোকাতুৰ হৈ থকাৰ ভয় পায়। মই আপোনাৰ কোলাহললৈ চাওঁ এগৰাকী গৃহিণীৰ হালকা, কৃপাময় হাঁহিৰে, যিয়ে নিজৰ ঘৰত কেৱল নিখুঁত শৃংখলা স্থাপন কৰিছে।

যদি আপোনাৰ ব্ৰেণ্ড, আপোনাৰ ম্যানুফেকচাৰ বা আপোনাৰ পৰিয়ালৰ কাৰ্যালয়ে এদিন বিশ্বৰ ডিজিটেল আৱৰ্জনাত ডুব যোৱাত আমনি পায় — আপুনি জানে স্বীকৃতিৰ অনুৰোধৰ বুটাম ক'ত আছে। আমি ভদ্ৰভাৱে আপোনাৰ অনুৰোধ বিবেচনা কৰিম। হয়তো উত্তৰও দিম।

আৰু এতিয়া — আপোনাৰ বিশ্লেষকসকলৰ স্নায়ু ৰক্ষা কৰক। আমি তেওঁলোকৰ কথা ভাবিছো আৰু এই ইস্তাহাৰখন ১৮০টা ভাষালৈ অনুবাদ কৰিছো, যাতে আপোনালোকৰ প্ৰতিজনে এই হাঁহিটো নিজৰ মাতৃভাষাত পঢ়িব পাৰে।

আপোনাৰ ব্যয় কৰা সময়ৰ প্ৰতি অটল সন্মানৰ সৈতে,

অলগা লাইছেনকোভা (ড্ৰোনোভা)

VIA AD ME-ৰ প্ৰতিষ্ঠাপক আৰু সৃজনী পৰিচালক