--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For most of the early hires you make in a…" description: "\"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" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png" --- # For most of the early hires you make in a startup… ![“For most of the early hires you make in a startup, experience doesn't matter very much, and you should go for aptitude.” quote by Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png) > “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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early startup hires should be chosen for raw ability over prior experience. **In simple terms:** Hire for aptitude, not experience. Key Takeaway Prioritize potential over résumé. Themes hiring startups aptitude Mood practical forward‑looking Type business advice When to use this quote - early stage startup - team building - skill development Key Concepts growth mindset skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How to assess aptitude effectively? - When is experience essential? A Different Perspective May overlook domain expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aptitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aptitude/) [Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) ## Related quotes > [You need this sort of a tailwind to make a startup successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-need-this-sort-of-a-tailwind-to-make-a-startup-successful/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [It helps tremendously to have operating startup experience when advising startups. It is much easier to tell people how to talk to customers, build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-kan/it-helps-tremendously-to-have-operating-startup-experience-when/) [Justin Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-kan/) > [I think acting can be very frustrating, and there's no experience that doesn't make you a better actor. So people may choose to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/i-think-acting-can-be-very-frustrating-and-there-s-no-experience-that/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [“Because it's true. Erica, one horrible experience doesn't define you. If it did, I doubt you'd want to be with me either. "I do,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-wild/because-it-s-true-erica-one-horrible-experience-doesn-t-define-you-if/) [Meredith Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-wild/) > [One thing I really hate is experience. Experience for me doesn't work. Everybody's talking about experience this, experience that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohan-blake/one-thing-i-really-hate-is-experience-experience-for-me-doesn-t-work/) [Yohan Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohan-blake/) > [I think acting can be very frustrating, and there's no experience that doesn't make you a better actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/i-think-acting-can-be-very-frustrating-and-there-s-no-experience-that-2/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [Sometimes when learning comes before experience It doesn't make sense right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/sometimes-when-learning-comes-before-experience-it-doesn-t-make-sense/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [I think we're dealing with a realm of human experience that doesn't get all that much attention on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/i-think-we-re-dealing-with-a-realm-of-human-experience-that-doesn-t/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [My experience has to be funnelled through a black experience or a white experience, or it doesn't exist, because that's how we're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/my-experience-has-to-be-funnelled-through-a-black-experience-or-a/) M.I.A > [Experience doesn't necessarily teach anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-weinberg/experience-doesn-t-necessarily-teach-anything/) [Gerald Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-weinberg/) > [Managing in a foreign country will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that doesn't come along that often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcclaren/managing-in-a-foreign-country-will-be-a-once-in-a-lifetime-experience/) [Steve McClaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcclaren/) > [I mean the most important thing you can have as an actor, writer, director, or whatever you are, poet or whatever it is, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-mean-the-most-important-thing-you-can-have-as-an-actor-writer/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/when-it-comes-to-starting-startups-in-many-ways-it-s-easier-to-start/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [We hear again and again from founders, that they wish they had waited to start a startup until they came up with an idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/we-hear-again-and-again-from-founders-that-they-wish-they-had-waited/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [You can have a startup and one other thing, you can have a family, but you probably can't have many other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-can-have-a-startup-and-one-other-thing-you-can-have-a-family-but/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) ## More by Sam Altman > [The best people know that they should join a rocketship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-best-people-know-that-they-should-join-a-rocketship/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [You really want to know your cofounders for a while, ideally years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-really-want-to-know-your-cofounders-for-a-while-ideally-years/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Employees will only add more value over time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/employees-will-only-add-more-value-over-time/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-thing-i-tell-startups-all-the-time-is-that-the-best-way-to-grow/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [A winning team feels good and keeps winning. A team that hasn't won in a while gets demotivated and keeps losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/a-winning-team-feels-good-and-keeps-winning-a-team-that-hasn-t-won-in/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [You're either not hiring at all or it's probably your single biggest block of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/you-re-either-not-hiring-at-all-or-it-s-probably-your-single-biggest/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [The thing that kills startups at some level, is the founders giving up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-thing-that-kills-startups-at-some-level-is-the-founders-giving-up/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Execution gets divided into two key questions: 1) can you figure out what to do and 2) can you get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/execution-gets-divided-into-two-key-questions-1-can-you-figure-out/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [If you want something in a deal, just ask for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/if-you-want-something-in-a-deal-just-ask-for-it/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Most things are not as risky as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/most-things-are-not-as-risky-as-they-seem/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [I prefer to invest in a company that's going after a small but rapidly growing market than a big but slow growing one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/i-prefer-to-invest-in-a-company-that-s-going-after-a-small-but/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-not-the-best-choice-for-work-life-balance-and-that-s/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [One of the biggest advantages that start ups have is execution speed and you have to have this relentless operating rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-of-the-biggest-advantages-that-start-ups-have-is-execution-speed/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/one-of-the-keys-to-focus-and-why-i-said-cofounders-that-aren-t/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/startups-are-very-hard-no-matter-what-you-do-you-may-as-well-go-after/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) [Explore all 235 Sam Altman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) ## More Aptitude quotes > [People are so constituted that everybody would rather undertake what they see others do, whether they have an aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/people-are-so-constituted-that-everybody-would-rather-undertake-what/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [ The first \[quality\] to be named must always be the power of attention, of giving one's whole mind to the patient without the interposition… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-trotter/the-first-quality-to-be-named-must-always-be-the-power-of-attention/) [Wilfred Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-trotter/) > [It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/it-is-not-your-aptitude-but-your-attitude-that-determines-your/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“That evening, Hope wrote a letter to her MP, Jack Crow. She found no difficulty at all in composing it, but quite a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-macleod/that-evening-hope-wrote-a-letter-to-her-mp-jack-crow-she-found-no/) [Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-macleod/) > [Now, occultism is not like mystic faculty, and it very seldom works in harmony either with business aptitude in the things of ordinary life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-waite/now-occultism-is-not-like-mystic-faculty-and-it-very-seldom-works-in/) [A. E. Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-waite/) > [If a man is to lose his fortune, it is a good thing if he were poor before he acquired it, for poverty requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/if-a-man-is-to-lose-his-fortune-it-is-a-good-thing-if-he-were-poor/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [Men are so constituted that every one undertakes what he sees another successful in, whether he has aptitude for it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/men-are-so-constituted-that-every-one-undertakes-what-he-sees-another/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“My attitude is to be with one aptitude”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/my-attitude-is-to-be-with-one-aptitude/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [Honestly, I never really thought I'd be a comedian. But I did take an aptitude test in seventh grade - and this is 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wolf/honestly-i-never-really-thought-i-d-be-a-comedian-but-i-did-take-an/) [Michelle Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wolf/) > [Appalling numbers of youth have been led into a cynical ultra-sophisticated attitude which regards drinking as a badge of social aptitude, which makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-parker-yockey/appalling-numbers-of-youth-have-been-led-into-a-cynical-ultra/) [Francis Parker Yockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-parker-yockey/) > [Henke sensed her terrifying aptitude for destruction as never before. Henke had feared for her sanity; now she knew the truth was almost worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/henke-sensed-her-terrifying-aptitude-for-destruction-as-never-before/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [Attitude and not the Aptitude decide the Altitude you reach in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/attitude-and-not-the-aptitude-decide-the-altitude-you-reach-in-life/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [That's what humanity is: a series of successes and failures, a testing of one's own nature and aptitude. Neither the body nor the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/that-s-what-humanity-is-a-series-of-successes-and-failures-a-testing/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“I am Captain Aptitude. Well, I will be, once I get acclimated to the climate at this altitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-captain-aptitude-well-i-will-be-once-i-get-acclimated-to-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Once again the Naderites were onstage attacking the Educational Testing Service - the organization which develops and administers the scholastic aptitude tests...the reason for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-seligman/once-again-the-naderites-were-onstage-attacking-the-educational/) Daniel Seligman [Browse all 196 Aptitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aptitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For most of the early hires you make in a startup, experience doesn't matter very much, and you should go for aptitude.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sam Altman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in-a-startup-experience-doesn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aptitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in-a-startup-experience-doesn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31a/sam-altman-1494_aptitude_for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in_2112281.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For most of the early hires you make in a startup, experience doesn't matter very much, and you should go…” — Sam Altman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sam Altman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For most of the early hires...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in-a-startup-experience-doesn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/for-most-of-the-early-hires-you-make-in-a-startup-experience-doesn-t/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```