You're saying no ninety-seven times out of a hundred, and most founders find they have to make a very conscious effort to… — Sam Altman Conscious Copy Share Image
Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot. — Sam Altman Execution Copy Share Image
No matter what you choose, build stuff and be around smart people. — Sam Altman Matter Copy Share Image
We've seen a lot of data at YC now, and the most successful companies and the ones where the investors do the… — Sam Altman Company Copy Share Image
As you grow, the productivity I think, goes down with the square of the number of employees if you don't make an… — Sam Altman Effort 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
Remember that you are more likely to die because you execute badly than get crushed by a competitor. — Sam Altman Competitors Copy Share Image
Share results (financial and key metrics) with the company every month. — Sam Altman Business 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 Beats Copy Share Image
... how much time you should be spending on hiring? The answer is 0 or 25 percent. — Sam Altman Answers 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 Easy 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
We pretty much won't fund a company now where the founders don't have vested equity because it's just that hard to do. — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
Everyone starting a startup for the first time is scared, and everyone feels like a bit of an imposter. — Sam Altman Bits Copy Share Image
The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level. — Sam Altman Execution Copy Share Image
At YC we have this public phrase, and it's relentlessly resourceful. — Sam Altman Phrases Copy Share Image
A third advantage of mission oriented companies, is that people outside the company are more willing to help you. — Sam Altman Advantage 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 Compensation Copy Share Image
A lot of people treat choosing their cofounder with even less importance than they put on hiring. Don't do this. — Sam Altman Hiring Copy Share Image
Founders need to figure out what the message of the company is going to be. — Sam Altman Business Copy Share Image
You need to figure out what the 2 or 3 most important things are, and then just do those. — Sam Altman Figures Copy Share Image
You need this sort of a tailwind to make a startup successful. — Sam Altman Entrepreneurship Copy Share Image
You don't need to make the structure complicated, in fact you shouldn't. All you need is for every employee to know who… — Sam Altman Complicated Copy Share Image
