Creators
How Naval writes on X: 21 posts, and what they have in common
Naval (@naval) has 21 posts in the library with 109.3K likes between them. What they write about, how they open, and the posts that did the most — read from the posts themselves.
Rests on:@naval,the post,the post,the post,the post,the post
Naval (@naval) has 21 posts in the library. Between them they drew 109,344 likes; the typical one reaches 2,918, and the biggest reached 13,242. This is what the posts themselves say about how they write — not a profile, a pattern.
What they write about
- No single topic is more than a fifth of their posts: they range.
How they open
- 100% of posts open with an observation
Half or more of their posts open the same way — an observation. That is a signature, and it is worth reading the three below with that in mind: the move is the same, the subject changes.
Visit all the places, eat all the food, read all the books, make all the friends, gather all the fame, support all the causes, build all the products, earn all the money...
The modern struggle
It doesn’t matter if open source software is developed by the CCP, the NSA, the Jews, ISIS, MAGA, ANTIFA, or the Illuminati.
The posts that did the most
- @naval — “Visit all the places, eat all the food, read all the books, make all the friends, gather all the fame, support all the causes, build all th…” — 13,242 likes · open
Why it worked: Ends on a short line that is easy to quote and repeat.
- @naval — “The modern struggle” — 12,658 likes · open
Why it worked: Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
- @naval — “It doesn’t matter if open source software is developed by the CCP, the NSA, the Jews, ISIS, MAGA, ANTIFA, or the Illuminati.” — 12,249 likes · open
Why it worked: Follows a clear Hook → Context → Landing shape, so the reader always knows where they are.
- @naval — “People with “founder mentality” can’t rest once a problem or opportunity is identified.” — 10,538 likes · open
Why it worked: Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
- @naval — “Lasting novels don’t come from literature departments. Successful businesses don’t come from business schools. Scientific revolutions don’t…” — 9,616 likes · open
Why it worked: Opens with a short, self-contained line that is easy to take in at a glance.
What to borrow
Nothing of theirs — not a phrase, not a number, not a fact. What carries over is the shape.
- From the 13,242-like post: Preserve the Hook → Landing structure and the plain observation opening.
- From the 12,658-like post: Preserve the Hook → Context → Context → Landing structure and the plain observation opening.
- From the 12,249-like post: Preserve the Hook → Context → Landing structure and the plain observation opening.
The structure the analysis reads most often across their best work is Hook → Landing — 2 of the top 5 follow it.
Start here
- Every post of theirs in the library — sortable by likes, replies or date, with the mechanics on each.
- Remix their style — their five strongest posts as sources, your product as the subject. The words will be yours; the moves will be theirs.
- Save the ones that match your taste to a board, and the board's remixes will lean their way.