How two students got a ride from Sir Richard Branson on his private jet | Hacker News Reader

How two students got a ride from Sir Richard Branson on his private jet

kbiri.blogspot.com

25 pointswallflower11 comments

Branson is well known for taking along hitchhikers, even when he's waterskiing.

I take it you're referring to the naked super model piggybacking along photo?

classic example of how taking the time (or growing the balls) to ask for something is 90% of the way to getting it.

Totally agree. In spanish there are 2 related sayings:

- "El que no llora, no mama", which translates to something like "Babies that don't cry, don't get breast fed" (very raw translation).

- "En pedir no hay engaño", roughly translates to "There's no deceit in asking"

FYI: the equivalent English expressions are "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" and "There's no harm in asking."

or "If you don't ask, you don't get."

Thank you both, hopefully I'll remember them for next time!

Not really, I could see if they asked in person, but they just texted their question and Branson was asked it publically by someone else.

well perhaps the other 10% is asking the right way (i.e. cheekily in this case)

Besides Branson does similar things fairly often. I think he's a pretty sound guy.

I posted this because these students were thinking in a manner unlike anyone else in that large auditorium. Thinking about/looking for opportunities/taking advantage of the situation. Honestly, I do not think that thought would even cross my mind, had I been there. I believe this is an example of how some entrepreneurs think radically different.

I do not think they would have had access to Branson in person (security; someone from the conference organizers got them backstage)

The question came up on a huge screen, and was asked of him personally in front of a large audience. He would have been seen as a complete miser if he'd refused.

Now, if he'd been asked this in private, with no consequences for refusal and if he still let them fly with him, then I'd be impressed with his generosity.

As it is, what he did was just a prudent public relations decision.

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