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These all sounded really bad, but they turned out to be good. If they had sounded really good, there would have been too many people working on them.

Sam Altman

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Sam Altman
Age: 39
Born: 1985
Born: April 22
Entrepreneur
Chicago
Illinois
Samuel H. Altman
Samuel Altman
Many
Really
Good
Would
People
Sounded
Turned
Working

More quotes by Sam Altman

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Developing a personal connection with anyone you're trying to do a big deal with is really important.
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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.
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You need conviction in your own beliefs, and the willingness to ignore others naysaying.
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Most things are not as risky as they seem.
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Momentum and growth are the lifeblood of startups. This is probably in the top three secrets of executing well.
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In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder.
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For most of the early hires you make in a startup, experience doesn't matter very much, and you should go for aptitude.
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So always keep momentum, it's this prime directive for managing a startup.
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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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Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot.
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In YC's case, the number one cause of early death for startups is cofounder blowups.
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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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One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.
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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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1 of the hardest parts about being a founder, is that there are a 100 important things competing for your attention each day.
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AirBnB spent 5 months interviewing their first employee, before they hired someone and in their first year, they only hired 2 people.
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One thing that founders forget is that after they hire employees, they have to retain them.
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You need this sort of a tailwind to make a startup successful.
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Ideas by themselves are not worth anything, only executing well is what creates value.
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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.
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