There's no way I know, to get through the pain of a startup without belief that the mission really matters. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
There are exceptions of course, but most companies start with a great idea - not a pivot. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Another way of looking at this, is that the best companies are almost always mission oriented. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
One of the biggest advantages that start ups have is execution speed and you have to have this relentless operating rhythm. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
M&A negotiations feel really fun. This is one of the biggest killers of companies, is they entertain acquisition conversations. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Most investors are obsessed with the market size today and they don't think about how the market is going to evolve. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Investors will sort of like write the check and then, despite a lot of promises, don't usually do that much; sometimes they… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The natural state of a start-up is to die; most start-ups require multiple miracles in their early days to escape this fate. — Sam Altman 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 Copy Share Image
You also really want to take the time to think about how the market is going to evolve.You need a market that's… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
It's difficult to get large groups of people, to the extreme levels of focus and productivity that you need, for a startup… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Share results (financial and key metrics) with the company every month. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Founders need to figure out what the message of the company is going to be. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Long term thinking is so rare anywhere, but especially in startups. This is a huge advantage if you do it. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
It's easy to move fast or be obsessed with quality, but the trick is you have to do both at a startup. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
... for the top twenty most valuable YC companies, all of them have at least two founders. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You want to think about what is the path for my first 10 or 15 employees going to be as the company grows. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
In general don't start a startup you're not willing to work on for ten years. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
It's better to have no cofounder than to have a bad cofounder, but it's still bad to be a solo founder. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
In general though, if you look at the track record of pivots, they don't become big companies. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You have to find a small market in which you can get a monopoly and then quickly expand. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
One thing that founders always underestimate is how hard it is to recruit. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
In YC's case, the number one cause of early death for startups is cofounder blowups. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Growth and momentum are what a startup lives on and you always have to focus on maintaining these. — 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 Copy Share Image
Mediocre founders spend a lot of time talking about grand plans, but they never quite make a decision. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You want to continue to be run by great products, not process for it's own sake. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
If you compromise in the first five, ten hires it might kill the company. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The track record for founders that don't already know each other is really bad. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
A winning team feels good and keeps winning. A team that hasn't won in a while gets demotivated and keeps losing. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You're either not hiring at all or it's probably your single biggest block of time. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Execution gets divided into two key questions: 1) can you figure out what to do and 2) can you get it done. — Sam Altman 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 one. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
