Quote

You need to figure out what the 2 or 3 most important things are, and then just do those.

Sam Altman

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Sam Altman
Age: 39
Born: 1985
Born: April 22
Entrepreneur
Chicago
Illinois
Samuel H. Altman
Samuel Altman
Things
Figure
Figures
Need
Important
Needs

More quotes by Sam Altman

Image
You need unstoppable people. You want people that are just going to get it done.
Sam Altman
Image
Long term thinking is so rare anywhere, but especially in startups. This is a huge advantage if you do it.
Sam Altman
Image
Most good founders that I know at any given time have a set of small overarching goals for the company that everybody in the company knows.
Sam Altman
Image
Most investors are obsessed with the market size today and they don't think about how the market is going to evolve.
Sam Altman
Image
If it takes more than a sentence to explain what you are doing, it's almost always a sign that what you are doing is too complicated.
Sam Altman
Image
Founders need to figure out what the message of the company is going to be.
Sam Altman
Image
Move fast. Speed is one of your main advantages over large companies.
Sam Altman
Image
Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot.
Sam Altman
Image
One thing that founders always underestimate is how hard it is to recruit.
Sam Altman
Image
The cost of getting an early hire wrong is really high.
Sam Altman
Image
The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level.
Sam Altman
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
Image
When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup.
Sam Altman
Image
I really believe that the single hardest thing in business is building a company that does repeatable innovation... and just has this ongoing culture of excellence as it grows.
Sam Altman
Image
Mediocre founders spend a lot of time talking about grand plans, but they never quite make a decision.
Sam Altman
Image
You're saying no ninety-seven times out of a hundred, and most founders find they have to make a very conscious effort to do this.
Sam Altman
Image
Developing a personal connection with anyone you're trying to do a big deal with is really important.
Sam Altman
Image
... you can think about that for everyone you hire: will I bet the future of this company on this single hire? And that's a tough bar.
Sam Altman
Image
... but actually it sucks to have a lot of employees, and you should be proud of how few employees you have.
Sam Altman
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 their manager is.
Sam Altman