Team Quotes by Sam Altman · Page 2

... We probably funded a rate of something like one out of ten solo teams.

— Sam Altman

Experience matters for some roles and not others.

— Sam Altman

Most of the best hires that I've made in my entire life have never done that thing before.

— Sam Altman

If someone is getting every decision wrong, that's when you need to act, and at that point it'll be painfully aware to…

— Sam Altman

If you're not in college and you don't know a cofounder, the next best thing I think is to go work at…

— Sam Altman

I believe in fighting with investors to reduce the amount of equity they get and then being as generous as you possibly…

— Sam Altman

Many of the best YC companies have had phenomenally small number of employees for their first year, sometimes none besides the founders.

— Sam Altman

... but actually it sucks to have a lot of employees, and you should be proud of how few employees you have.

— Sam Altman

... you can think about that for everyone you hire: will I bet the future of this company on this single hire?…

— Sam Altman

You think you have this great idea that everyone's going to come join, but that's not how it works.

— Sam Altman

If someone is difficult to talk to, if someone cannot communicate clearly, it's a real problem in terms of their likelihood to…

— Sam Altman

You don't get to make their decisions but you do get to choose the decision makers.

— Sam Altman

You need unstoppable people. You want people that are just going to get it done.

— Sam Altman

... you want to be proud of how much you can get done with a small numbers of employees.

— Sam Altman

In YC experience, 2 or 3 co-founders seems to be about perfect.

— Sam Altman

At the beginning, you should only hire when you have a desperate need to.

— Sam Altman

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

To get the very best people- they have a lot of great options, and so it can easily take a year to…

— Sam Altman

I think the best thing you can do is be aware that as a first time founder you are likely to be…

— Sam Altman

You also want people who are maniacally determined and that is slightly different than having a risk tolerant attitude.

— Sam Altman

There are 3 things I look for when I hire people. Are they smart? Do they get things done? Do I want…

— Sam Altman

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

Every first time founder waits too long, everyone hopes that an employee will turn around. But the right answer is to fire…

— Sam Altman

I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees.

— Sam Altman

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

Really dig into projects people have worked on and call references; that is another thing that first time founders like to skip.

— Sam Altman

For most of the early hires you make in a startup, experience doesn't matter very much, and you should go for aptitude.

— Sam Altman