The thirteenth search engine- and without all the features of a web portal, most people thought that was pointless. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
... the thing we see wrong with YC apps most frequently, is that people have not thought about the market first and… — Sam Altman Apps Copy Share Image
As long as you keep doing the right thing and have the best product, you can beat the bigger company. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Most good founders that I know at any given time have a set of small overarching goals for the company that everybody… — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
... fire fast when it's not working. It's better for the company, it's also better for the employee. — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
Mediocre founders spend a lot of time talking about grand plans, but they never quite make a decision. — Sam Altman Customer Copy Share Image
The tenth social network, and limited only to college students with no money, also terrible. Myspace had won. — Sam Altman College Copy Share Image
I prefer to invest in a company that's going after a small but rapidly growing market than a big but slow growing… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
It's become popular in recent years to say that the idea doesn't matter. — Sam Altman Ideas Copy Share Image
Here's a good rule of thumb: don't worry about a competitor at all, until they're actually beating you with a real shipped… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Momentum and growth are the lifeblood of startups. This is probably in the top three secrets of executing well. — Sam Altman Customer Copy Share Image
... We probably funded a rate of something like one out of ten solo teams. — Sam Altman Football Copy Share Image
The best founders work on things that seem small but they move really quickly. They get things done really quickly. — Sam Altman Customer Copy Share Image
You certainly don't need to have everything figured out in the path from here to world domination. — Sam Altman Domination Copy Share Image
You only get points when you make something the market wants. So if you work really hard on the wrong things, no… — Sam Altman Care Copy Share Image
So if you want a culture where people work hard, & pay attention to detail, focus on the customer, are frugal: you… — Sam Altman Attention Copy Share Image
We talk to a team they've gotten new things done, that's the best predictor we have that a company will be successful. — Sam Altman Being successful Copy Share Image
Or a way to stay on strangers couches, that just sounds terrible all around. — Sam Altman Couches Copy Share Image
Growth and momentum are what a startup lives on and you always have to focus on maintaining these. — Sam Altman Customer Copy Share Image
Cofounder relationships are among the most important in the entire company. — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
As the company grows and about this 25 or so employee size, your main job shifts from building a great product to… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
There are 3 things I look for when I hire people. Are they smart? Do they get things done? Do I want… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The most important thing is that there is clear reporting structure and everyone knows what it is. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
AirBnB spent 5 months interviewing their first employee, before they hired someone and in their first year, they only hired 2 people. — Sam Altman Airbnb Copy Share Image
Before 20 or 25 employees, most companies are structured with everyone reporting to the founder. It's totally flat. — Sam Altman Company Copy Share Image
The way you get deals done and the way you get good terms, is to have a competitive situation. — Sam Altman Competitive Copy Share Image
If you don't love and believe in what you're building, you're likely to give up at some point along the way. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
To get the very best people- they have a lot of great options, and so it can easily take a year to… — Sam Altman People Copy Share Image
AirBnB happened because Brian Chesky couldn't pay his rent, but did have some space. — Sam Altman Airbnb Copy Share Image
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. — Sam Altman Balance Copy Share Image
If you can just learn to think about the market first, you will have a big leg up on most people starting… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
I think the best thing you can do is be aware that as a first time founder you are likely to be… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You also want people who are maniacally determined and that is slightly different than having a risk tolerant attitude. — Sam Altman Attitude Copy Share Image
Most great companies in tech have been built by personal referrals for the first...at least 100 employees and often many more. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
When lack of structure fails, it fails all at once. What works totally fine from 0-20 employees, is disastrous at 30. — Sam Altman Employee Copy Share Image
... for the top twenty most valuable YC companies, all of them have at least two founders. — Sam Altman Companies Copy Share Image
The hard part is that this is a very fine line. There's right on one side of it, and crazy on the… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
What you want to do is innovate on your product and your business model, management structure is not where I would try… — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
Starting a business is like riding a wave between life and death. If you can hang on long enough, you're bound to… — Sam Altman Between life and death Copy Share Image
Founders need to figure out what the message of the company is going to be. — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
