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Firing people is one of the worst parts of running a company. Actually in my own experience, I think it is the worst.

Sam Altman

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Sam Altman
Age: 39
Born: 1985
Born: April 22
Entrepreneur
Chicago
Illinois
Samuel H. Altman
Samuel Altman
Worst
Company
Actually
Experience
Running
Think
Firing
Thinking
Parts
People
Team

More quotes by Sam Altman

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Don't let the company get distracted or excited about other things. A common mistake is that companies get excited by their own PR.
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Most startups are not nearly focussed enough. They work hard...maybe, but they don't work hard on the right things.
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Losing focus is another way that founders get off track.
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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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... 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.
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So you should always stay on top of people's vesting schedules.
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The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level.
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You cannot create a market that doesn't want to exist.
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In general, it's best if you're building something that you yourself need.
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A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup.
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To get the very best people- they have a lot of great options, and so it can easily take a year to recruit someone.
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As you grow, it feels hopelessly corporate but it really is worth putting in place these compensation bands.
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Mediocre founders spend a lot of time talking about grand plans, but they never quite make a decision.
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The company just needs to see you as like this maniacal execution machine.
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Press releases are easier to write than code, and that is still easier than making a great product.
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I believe in fighting with investors to reduce the amount of equity they get and then being as generous as you possibly can with employees.
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Move fast. Speed is one of your main advantages over large companies.
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Before product/market fit, your only job that matters is to build a great product.
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So always keep momentum, it's this prime directive for managing a startup.
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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.
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