It's easy to say, 'I'm going to build something that already exists,' but it's difficult to clearly and succinctly describe something new. Sam Altman More Quotes by Sam Altman More Quotes From Sam Altman The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level. Sam Altman pieces levels focus Facebook has this famous poster that says move fast and break things. But at the same time they manage to be obsessed with quality. Sam Altman posters quality moving It's really easy to get PR with no results & it actually feels like you're really actually cool, but in a year you'll still have nothing. Sam Altman like-you easy years Here's a good rule of thumb: don't worry about a competitor at all, until they're actually beating you with a real shipped product. Sam Altman thumbs real worry You should always know how you're doing against your metrics. You should always have a weekly review meeting every week. Sam Altman metrics week should The best founders work on things that seem small but they move really quickly. They get things done really quickly. Sam Altman founders done moving 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 excited mistake common Keep salaries low and equity high. Keep the organization as flat as you can. Sam Altman salary organization lows You can create value with breakthrough innovation, incremental refinement, or complex coordination. Great companies often do two of these. The very best companies do all three. Sam Altman innovation three two It really is true that you become an average of the people you spend the most time with. Sam Altman average people The role of the board is advice and consent. If the CEO does not lay out a clear strategy and tries to get the board to set one, it will usually end in disaster. Sam Altman doe advice trying 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. Sam Altman being-the-best missing world You never want to be in a place where an employee has vested 3 out of the 4 years of stock and they start thinking about leaving. Sam Altman leaving years thinking Everyone starting a startup for the first time is scared, and everyone feels like a bit of an imposter. Sam Altman scared starting firsts Just put a little pin in your mind: when you cross 50 employees, there are a new set of HR rules that you have to comply with. Sam Altman crosses mind littles So you should always stay on top of people's vesting schedules. Sam Altman schedules should people As you grow, the productivity I think, goes down with the square of the number of employees if you don't make an effort. Sam Altman squares numbers thinking Because it's one of these sort of connections between nodes- every pair of people adds communication overhead. Sam Altman pairs communication people You want to continue to be run by great products, not process for it's own sake. Sam Altman sake want running 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. Sam Altman innovation excellence believe
