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A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup.

Sam Altman

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Sam Altman
Age: 39
Born: 1985
Born: April 22
Entrepreneur
Chicago
Illinois
Samuel H. Altman
Samuel Altman
Team
Five
Fact
Often
Facts
Hire
Firsts
Mediocre
First
Kill
Single

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Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot.
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Why now, why is this the perfect time for this particular idea, and to start this particular company?
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Be suspicious of any work that is not building product or getting customers. It's easy to get sucked into an infrastructure rewrite death spiral.
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The company just needs to see you as like this maniacal execution machine.
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Long term thinking is so rare anywhere, but especially in startups. This is a huge advantage if you do it.
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The most important thing is that there is clear reporting structure and everyone knows what it is.
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Every company has a rocky beginning.
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The track record for founders that don't already know each other is really bad.
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If you pivot, do it fully and with conviction. The worst thing is to try to do a bit of the old and the new-it's hard to kill your babies.
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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.
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The role of the board is advice and consent. If the CEO does not lay out a clear strategy and tries to get the board to set one, it will usually end in disaster.
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If you have several ideas that all seem pretty good, work on the one that you think about, when you're not trying to think about work.
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You have to be decisive. Indecisiveness is a startup killer.
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You need conviction in your own beliefs, and the willingness to ignore others naysaying.
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