Levchin, who has helped Affirm leavers launch startups, says he would love to see an “Affirm mafia” in the future. By the time PayPal was 13 years old, its founders’ second companies were already taking off, he notes. “I’m waiting for our own SpaceX or Tesla or something that we can say, ‘well, it eclipsed the birthplace.‘”
Affirm has seen more severe market swings since going public, which Levchin admits he’s found unnerving. “I made my peace that you cannot focus on a short term,” he says. “You’re far better off asking the question, ‘Am I still on strategy?‘”