For early employees you want people that have somewhat of a risk-taking attitude. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You also want to fire people who a) create office politics, and b) who are persistently negative. — 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
In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
... you want to be proud of how much you can get done with a small numbers of employees. — Sam Altman 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 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 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 Copy Share Image
You want an idea that not many other people are working on, and it's okay if it doesn't sound big at first. — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You want an idea about what you can say. I know it sounds like a bad idea but here's specifically why its… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You want an idea that turns into a monopoly. But you can't get a monopoly, in a big market right away; too… — Sam Altman Copy Share Image
You never want to be in a place where an employee has vested 3 out of the 4 years of stock and… — 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 Copy Share Image
You need unstoppable people. You want people that are just going to get it done. — 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
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
You also want people who are maniacally determined and that is slightly different than having a risk tolerant attitude. — 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
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
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
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
You're either not hiring at all or it's probably your single biggest block of time. — Sam Altman Copy Share
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
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
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. — Sam Altman Copy Share
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
One of the keys to focus, and why I said cofounders that aren't friends really struggle, is that you can't be focused without good… — Sam Altman Copy Share
Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity. — Sam Altman Copy Share
