The track record for founders that don't already know each other is really bad. — 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
Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You have to be intense. This only comes from the CEO, this only comes from the founders. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Every thing at a startup gets modeled after the founders. Whatever the founders do becomes the culture. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Everyone starting a startup for the first time is scared, and everyone feels like a bit of an imposter. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
... if you talk to say any of the first 40 or 50 employees, they all feel like they were a part… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
What being a founder means, is signing up for this years long grind on execution - and you can't outsource this. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
In the early days of a startup, people's compensation is whatever you negotiate with a founder and it's all over the place. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Most startups are not nearly focussed enough. They work hard...maybe, but they don't work hard on the right things. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
We hear again and again from founders, that they wish they had waited to start a startup until they came up with… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Whatever the founder cares about, whatever the founders think are the key goals, that's going to be what the whole company focusses… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
If someone is choosing between joining McKinsey or your startup it's very unlikely they're going to work out at the startup. — 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 Copy Share Image
More important than starting any startup, is getting to know a lot of potential co-founders. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
A board member of mine used to say sales fix everything in a startup, and that is really true. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
One thing that founders always underestimate is how hard it is to recruit. — 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
In YC's case, the number one cause of early death for startups is cofounder blowups. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
Wait to start a startup until you come up with an idea that you feel compelled to explore. — 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
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. — 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
... for the top twenty most valuable YC companies, all of them have at least two founders. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
By the way, that's my number one piece of advice if you're going to join a startup: pick a rocket ship. — 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
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
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
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
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
In the early stage of a startup, hiring senior people is usually a mistake. You just want people that get stuff done. — 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
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
