--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Later, you should learn to hire fast and…" description: "\"Later, you should learn to hire fast and scale up the company, but in the early days the goal should be not to hire. Not to hire.\" — Sam Altman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/sam-altman-1494_business_later-you-should-learn-to-hire-fast-and_618263.png" --- # Later, you should learn to hire fast and scale up the… ![“Later, you should learn to hire fast and scale up the company, but in the early days the goal should be not to hire. Not to hire.” quote by Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/sam-altman-1494_business_later-you-should-learn-to-hire-fast-and_618263.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/sam-altman-1494_business_later-you-should-learn-to-hire-fast-and_618263.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/sam-altman-1494_business_later-you-should-learn-to-hire-fast-and_618263.png) > “Later, you should learn to hire fast and scale up the company, but in the early days the goal should be not to hire. Not to hire.” [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. The quote advises that early-stage companies should prioritize growth and product development over expanding staff, emphasizing restraint in hiring. **In simple terms:** Early startups should avoid hiring too soon. Key Takeaway Focus on product before people. Themes startups growth hiring management Mood cautious strategic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - founder meetings - budget planning - product development - team building Key Concepts lean methodology resource allocation company culture Questions to Reflect On - When is the right time to hire? - How can a startup maintain agility without staff? A Different Perspective Hiring too quickly can waste limited resources and dilute culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) ## Related quotes > [It's easy to hire too fast and have chaos and disorganization and insufficient management.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-butterfield/it-s-easy-to-hire-too-fast-and-have-chaos-and-disorganization-and/) [Stewart Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-butterfield/) > [As part of the process by which you hire me, you hire me. You just don't hire an hour of me to do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-olbermann/as-part-of-the-process-by-which-you-hire-me-you-hire-me-you-just-don/) [Keith Olbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-olbermann/) > [When you hire me, you hire a nut who is going to work 24 hours a day for you and never, ever burn his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stern/when-you-hire-me-you-hire-a-nut-who-is-going-to-work-24-hours-a-day/) [Howard Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stern/) > [Learn the basics of analytics and people will love you. If you don't have time to learn, hire someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/learn-the-basics-of-analytics-and-people-will-love-you-if-you-don-t/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [I have yet to take capital losses on any company. Then again, it's still early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/i-have-yet-to-take-capital-losses-on-any-company-then-again-it-s/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [When you are a startup you need to hire very fast, and sometimes you have to restructure very fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-levy/when-you-are-a-startup-you-need-to-hire-very-fast-and-sometimes-you/) [Maurice Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-levy/) > [The cost of getting an early hire wrong is really high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-cost-of-getting-an-early-hire-wrong-is-really-high/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [The second part of how to hire: try not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/the-second-part-of-how-to-hire-try-not-to/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. 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The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [I would like to work with whoever would like to have me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-would-like-to-work-with-whoever-would-like-to-have-me/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. 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