The mystery of a 'little red book' about insurance startup Corgi

When investor Alex Ren visited the agency of AI security upstart Corgi early past year, he was fixed a transcript of a small reddish book emblazoned pinch a image of the company's namesake canine wearing a Mao-like reddish chapeau pinch a yellowish star.

It was called: "The Mission astatine Corgi."

Business Insider viewed images of a book pinch the aforesaid sanction and cover. Inside, it contained a bid of statements — immoderate braggy, immoderate bellicose, each of them blunt. "Boomers are slow and bad," the 17-page hardcover declares successful reference to hiring.

When Business Insider asked the institution astir the book, it said successful a connection that it was not "Corgi material."

"The unapproved type presently circulating was neither created nor produced by Corgi," it said. "It was created externally and fixed to Corgi arsenic a gift by an investor. The thoughts and opinions expressed successful that book are those of the writer and do not bespeak the position aliases views of Corgi, unless Corgi itself has affirmed them."

In a later statement, Corgi said the book did see immoderate worldly produced by the institution 2 years agone — but "nothing to do pinch age, for example" aliases the screen image. "The book you person sent and referenced is 3rd statement worldly that Corgi did not create aliases endorse," it added.

The institution declined to sanction the investor who it says made the book aliases really galore copies it was gifted.

Corgi is 1 of Silicon Valley's buzziest startups, viewed arsenic a brash newcomer successful an manufacture often stereotyped arsenic staid. It was weighted astatine $4 cardinal successful a July backing round, Forbes reported, and says it has raised complete $378 cardinal since its founding successful 2024. It's besides achieved net virality, acknowledgment to its X-posting employees, its all-night cafés, and a four-legged mascot.

In a January LinkedIn post, Ren, a founding personnel of the task superior patient Fellows Fund, said that aft Corgi CEO Nico Laqua sounded him, he visited their agency successful early 2025 for an hourlong meeting.

"At the end, we were handed a small reddish book titled 'The Mission astatine Corgi.' It opened pinch a statement we won't forget: 'We activity difficult and slumber successful the agency because Corgi is producing immoderate of the astir meaningful activity happening connected satellite Earth correct now,'" Ren wrote.

"That level of passion, ambition, and condemnation instantly stood out. We were obsessed pinch the ngo and the belief that security — 1 of fintech's hardest categories — could beryllium rebuilt from first principles."

Ren, who said Fellows Fund later invested successful Corgi, confirmed the relationship by telephone connected Monday, earlier telling a newsman to interaction Corgi for much information. Corgi declined to remark connected really aliases why the book was fixed to Ren. Two erstwhile labor said they had seen the book successful the company's office.

Business Insider viewed images of a hardcover book pinch the aforesaid title — "The Mission astatine Corgi" — and the aforesaid screen image. It opens pinch a quote attributed to Laqua: "This is simply a short booklet of our ngo astatine Corgi. If you principally disagree pinch immoderate of the sentiments recovered therein, you are not a fit."

Among those who whitethorn not beryllium seen arsenic a fit, according to the book: labor of status age.

"All the champion athletes, warriors, and chess grandmasters are 19-30 years old," the book says. "We request young energy! Boomers are slow and bad, we request energy, creativity, and cannot person layers of redundant management."

It describes which workers should beryllium fired: those who "don't care" and underperformers. "Fire anyone who doesn't activity weekends," it says.

Employees slumber successful the office, and each worker will person a mattress for the workplace pinch their connection letter, "preferably from Costco," the book says.

At different point, the book says that Corgi will do what it needs, "even if we request to slumber successful the agency aliases waste our humor connected the broadside of the roadworthy to get there."

Corgi is 1 of galore tech startups to clasp hardcore activity schedules. Terms like "996" — moving 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — are communal successful Silicon Valley, though it doesn't look successful the book. Founders besides flex their long hours online.

Laqua has publically spoken astir the company's activity schedule. "If your days disconnected hap to beryllium Saturday and Sunday each week, past you will not person a spot astatine Corgi," he said connected a podcast successful May.

The small reddish book specifications a expansive imagination for the security business. It says that security dates backmost to the Bronze Age and that without it, "the full system would astir instantly collapse."

The company's activity will "indirectly but meaningfully" lend to quality progress, the book says. "We will thief humanity scope the stars, cure diseases (and unrecorded everlastingly ultimately), create caller forms of intermezo and recreation, and create caller businesses that beforehand america successful ways we don't moreover presently statesman to appreciate," it says.

The book describes Corgi's security competitors — including Chubb, a decades-old insurance giant it mentions by sanction — successful convulsive terms. "We are coming for their throat," it reads. Chubb declined to comment.

It later says that the "only 'strategy' is the leaf of the knife."

The book besides points to a broader startup market. The problem pinch these companies, it says, is that they are excessively nice. "This is WAR!" it reads.

"We make our legacies here," the book reads. "With success, we get what our forefathers would person killed for. We are brothers and sisters successful arms, though location are immoderate mercenaries arsenic well."

The book ends pinch an image of a Corgi successful a abstraction helmet and a spacesuit pinch an American flag.