Quote

You don't get to make their decisions but you do get to choose the decision makers.

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
Make
Makers
Decisions
Choose
Team
Decision

More quotes by 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
So it's worth some real up front time to think through the long term value and the defensibility of the business.
Sam Altman
Image
Developing a personal connection with anyone you're trying to do a big deal with is really important.
Sam Altman
Image
I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees.
Sam Altman
Image
You really want to know your cofounders for a while, ideally years.
Sam Altman
Image
... if you talk to say any of the first 40 or 50 employees, they all feel like they were a part of the founding of the company.
Sam Altman
Image
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
One thing that founders forget is that after they hire employees, they have to retain them.
Sam Altman
Image
Remember that the idea will expand, and become more ambitious as you go.
Sam Altman
Image
If you don't need it yourself, and you're building something that someone else needs, realize you're at a big disadvantage.
Sam Altman
Image
Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot.
Sam Altman
Image
A board member of mine used to say sales fix everything in a startup, and that is really true.
Sam Altman
Image
Don't let the company get distracted or excited about other things. A common mistake is that companies get excited by their own PR.
Sam Altman
Image
AirBnB spent 5 months interviewing their first employee, before they hired someone and in their first year, they only hired 2 people.
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
Great execution towards a terrible idea will get you nowhere.
Sam Altman
Image
Employees will only add more value over time.
Sam Altman
Image
To get the very best people- they have a lot of great options, and so it can easily take a year to recruit someone.
Sam Altman
Image
In general though, if you look at the track record of pivots, they don't become big companies.
Sam Altman
Image
The single word that matters most I think to keep the company productive as it grows is alignment.
Sam Altman