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... the thing we see wrong with YC apps most frequently, is that people have not thought about the market first and what people want first.

Sam Altman

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Sam Altman
Age: 39
Born: 1985
Born: April 22
Entrepreneur
Chicago
Illinois
Samuel H. Altman
Samuel Altman
First
Thing
People
Apps
Frequently
Market
Wrong
Thought
Firsts

More quotes by Sam Altman

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The second part of how to hire: try not to.
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Losing focus is another way that founders get off track.
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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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Aim to be the best in the world at whatever you do professionally. Even if you miss, you'll probably end up in a pretty good place.
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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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In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder.
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You should be able to describe any employee as an animal at what they do.
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We talk to a team they've gotten new things done, that's the best predictor we have that a company will be successful.
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I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees.
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The startups that do well are the ones that are working all the time.
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You really want to know your cofounders for a while, ideally years.
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Obsess about the quality of the product.
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When it comes to starting startups, in many ways, it's easier to start a hard startup than an easy startup.
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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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Because so few people make an actual long term commitment to what they're building, the ones that do have a huge advantage.
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Ideas by themselves are not worth anything, only executing well is what creates value.
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As the company grows and about this 25 or so employee size, your main job shifts from building a great product to building a great company.
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Growth and momentum are what a startup lives on and you always have to focus on maintaining these.
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You also want to fire people who a) create office politics, and b) who are persistently negative.
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A board member of mine used to say sales fix everything in a startup, and that is really true.
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