Quote

Why now, why is this the perfect time for this particular idea, and to start this particular company?

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
Start
Perfect
Idea
Ideas
Time
Particular
Company

More quotes by Sam Altman

Image
... you want to be proud of how much you can get done with a small numbers of employees.
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
A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup.
Sam Altman
Image
In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder.
Sam Altman
Image
In the early stage of a startup, hiring senior people is usually a mistake. You just want people that get stuff done.
Sam Altman
Image
The company just needs to see you as like this maniacal execution machine.
Sam Altman
Image
If someone is getting every decision wrong, that's when you need to act, and at that point it'll be painfully aware to everyone.
Sam Altman
Image
Some day everyone will find out everyone else's comp, if it's all over the place, it will be a complete meltdown disaster
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
Most of the best hires that I've made in my entire life have never done that thing before.
Sam Altman
Image
Companies that I've been very involved with, that have had a very bad first hire in the first 3 or so employees never recover from it.
Sam Altman
Image
One of the great and terrible things about starting a start up is that you get no credit for trying.
Sam Altman
Image
Later, you should learn to hire fast and scale up the company, but in the early days the goal should be not to hire. Not to hire.
Sam Altman
Image
Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality.
Sam Altman
Image
You can have a startup and one other thing, you can have a family, but you probably can't have many other things.
Sam Altman
Image
The single word that matters most I think to keep the company productive as it grows is alignment.
Sam Altman
Image
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.
Sam Altman
Image
If you compromise in the first five, ten hires it might kill the company.
Sam Altman
Image
One thing I tell startups all the time is that the best way to grow is to make their product better.
Sam Altman
Image
You need this sort of a tailwind to make a startup successful.
Sam Altman