10 ms·

How to Build the Future with Sam Altman

159 points by sandslash 10y ago

sandslash 10y ago
And here are the download links for the transcript and audio files if anyone is interested in tuning in offline: Transcript: https://goo.gl/8z2h1b https://goo.gl/8z2h1b Audio: https://goo.gl/D8h0NU https://goo.gl/D8h0NU
- ycliu 10y ago
  Here is a mind map version I made: https://milkr.io/yuecen/Sam-Altman-How-to-Build-the-Future https://milkr.io/yuecen/Sam-Altman-How-to-Build-the-Future
Mz 10y ago
Unfortunately, there is a bit too much unstated assumption of "just be lucky (fortunate) as hell in multiple metrics from an incredibly young age." This seriously undermines the value of this advice for at least 99% of people.
- tlb 10y ago
  If one did state that assumption, is there something useful one can then say about how to be lucky? Or can you give an example of a "here's how I succeeded at something, the same strategies might work for you" article that addresses luck in an actionable way?
  - Mz 10y ago
    There are actually studies that quantify some of the differences in behavior between people who are lucky and people who are not. I think the actionable advice here wouod have to do with what pre-conditions must exist before this advice is meaningful and useful. Having some idea of what kind of situation you must create for yourself first would make it easier for people to recognize whether or not this advice can be applied to their life and, if not, what personal issues need to be addressed before this is useful advice.
    - YuriNiyazov 10y ago
      Would love to read these studies, do you have some references?
      - Mz 10y ago
        https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201005/make-your-own-luck https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201005/make-your-ow... http://www.bing.com/search?q=luck+studies&go=Submit&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=luck+studies&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=547E8CA0AFB843C49FFBFF22573E7274 http://www.bing.com/search?q=luck+studies&go=Submit&qs=n&for... http://www.forbes.com/sites/michakaufman/2015/01/30/embracing-the-upside-risk-of-entrepreneurship/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/michakaufman/2015/01/30/embracin... http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surface-area http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surf...
        joaorico 10y ago
        In addition to those, mostly as an example on how to start a actionable framework on luck, there's James Austin's 4 definitions of luck, see e.g. pmarca's old blog entry about it: http://pmarchive.com/luck_and_the_entrepreneur.html http://pmarchive.com/luck_and_the_entrepreneur.html
- hood_syntax 10y ago
  Frankly there's no point in giving this kind of advice to the 99% you're talking about (I include myself in that group). Most people do not have the opportunities (most important) or capability (still important) to do anything these people do.
  - Mz 10y ago
    As someone who is both a homeless woman and the top ranked woman on HN, I don't remotely agree with you.
- lint_roller 10y ago
  One of the hardest things to accept about life is that there are no guarantees. You play with the hand you're dealt.
  - projektir 10y ago
    But we should remember that when the cards are dealt, we are not alone. Some of us may have better cards than others, but a combination could be further stronger still.
- namank 10y ago
  Seems to me, the advice is all about surrounding yourself with good people.
- sama 10y ago
  Luck is a massive, massive factor in many ways, but I generally think you should make decisions as if it weren't a factor.
  - Mz 10y ago
    While I agree that you should "plan for the worst, hope for the best," YC started with a very idealistic concept that a couple of guys with a couple of computers and a few thousand dollars could seek to be Ramen Profitable (instead of seeking to be the next unicorn). You personally benefitted from that philosophy. It would be nice if the tradition that YC is for the common man with big dreams and little capital were continued.
  - venkynarayanan 10y ago
    By luck do mean like, riding a wave (unknowingly) just when it has started which turns out to be a pretty huge wave thus enabling you to build something massive.
lifeisstillgood 10y ago
It strikes me you need to slice him thin and use a lot of glue and even then I doubt you could build much more than a big yurt. Maybe I need to read the article more carefully. (A little more seriously the idea of finding the Venn overlap point between Good At, Love Doing, Adds Value is nice. Does not help me find my next big idea but at least is a filter)
koolba 10y ago
> Jack: I'm Jack, Sam's brother, and we are here in our backyard, where we also live with our other brother. Wait do all three of you live together in one house in your 30s? That's awesome! EDIT: Just to be clear, this comment is in no way intended to be sarcastic! I really think it's amazing for three brothers to live together in their 30s. The notion that each has to go their separate way after one turns 18/21/25 is bullshit. Life is more fun together and there's inherent economies of scale as well (both financial and social).
- chamakits 10y ago
  I agree. I'm from Puerto Rico, where I think it's more common to live and grow up within driving distance of a big part of your family. Now as an adult I've moved to the US, where it's much more common to move far from your family. I grew up expecting that I would always have my close family near, and I still struggle with the fact that's probably not going to be the case. I would absolutely love to live near or with my brother and parents still. Definitely would need a way that would allow us to have private spaces when we want, but I miss being able to see close family with just 30 minutes of traveling.
  - icebraining 10y ago
    While the US has a more mobile population, most Americans still live within half an hour of where they grew up: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-family.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-fa...
    - chamakits 10y ago
      Oh, interesting! Don't know why I would have assumed it to be less than that. Thanks for this article, good to learn something new.
- sama 10y ago
  They're in their 20s but yeah--we have a good time!
- 10y ago
misiti3780 10y ago
"One of the only arbitrage opportunities left is time." - I like that, and definitely believe it. First time I have heard it also.
- westoncb 10y ago
  Could someone expand on that a little? (I'm assuming the intended definition of 'arbitrage' here is along the lines of "The purchase of securities on one market for immediate resale on another market in order to profit from a price discrepancy.")
flyosity 10y ago
I'm sure this will get downvoted into oblivion, but why should I or other engineers/entrepreneurs look at Sam Altman as a massive startup success story when his lone startup Loopt never really achieved product-market fit, and ended up in a firesale? Across 5 funding rounds, Crunchbase lists Loopt as having raised $39 million and then was acquired (acqui-hired?) for $43 million. He didn't create any multiples of value for his investors. Loopt wasn't a breakout hit like so many other YC startups have been. It was certainly one of the first interesting location-based apps in the App Store, but soon was surrounded by other location-based apps and never really appeared to surface and gain traction. Obviously Sam runs YC now and has dramatically improved it, but in the lens of being an entrepreneur, isn't he still essentially unproven, and not a success story in the startup world?
- drzaiusapelord 10y ago
  While we're at it, how about Mark Cuban? Did Broadcast.com ever work past a basic stage? Did it ever have huge, if any, positive revenues? It really sounds like he bought a domain name and fucked around a little with html and won big in the dotcom craze. A lot of "heroes" in this world are fairly fraudulent. Worse, some went from young tech luminaries to older VC sharks with questionable ethics like Mark Andreeson. I think coding and tech, in general, is mostly a meritocracy, but on the business end its practically the lottery. Right time, right place and other luck of the draws determine financial success just as much as the merit of the product, if not more so.
  - hugs 10y ago
    There's yet another kind of startup founder, who merely starts a successful company that makes millions of dollars per year and is still in business almost a decade later. The company doesn't fail, but it doesn't have a huge blow-out liquidity event, either. The founder remains heads-down, in the trenches, with no interest in going the VC route. Regardless, they're in a boring B2B niche, so you'll never read about them.
    - nibs 10y ago
davecyen 10y ago
Main takeaway: Work on something together w/ people you like and on an idea that you are truly excited about and strongly opinionated on. Shit will get hard and most people will quit too soon (esp if they don't like each other or don't care about what they're doing). Don't be those people.
razvan_ro 10y ago
Why is Sam's brother the one interviewing him?? I find it slightly cringy. What authority does he have / what has he done, that makes him a good candidate to interview Sam? Is this meant to help shine some light on Sam's brother and his startup?
- daveguy 10y ago
  These are fairly standard questions for the "How to Build the Future" series[0]. Sam normally does the interviewing, but in this case he had his brother ask the questions. Sam has been asking a lot of entrepreneurs these same questions (the Musk interview was particularly good[1]). Sam having his brother ask those same questions of him didn't come across as particularly cringy to me. It would have been more awkward if he read the questions and then answered them. [0]https://www.ycombinator.com/future/ https://www.ycombinator.com/future/ [1]https://www.ycombinator.com/future/elon/ https://www.ycombinator.com/future/elon/
westoncb 10y ago
I especially liked the point about not seeing criticism or lack of attention as necessarily being red flags. It's sort of counter-intuitive that this would be the case because after something fairly radically new becomes popular there's so much positive said about it. It's an easy leap to assume that praise was always present, and that lack of it in your case is a signal that what you're working on won't succeed—but it seems like in actuality, when you're doing something novel enough people aren't going to 'get it' immediately by definition. It's also easy to assume that those you speak to about your work will approach it with the optimism and energy with which you regard it, and without a little optimism and sustained attention it's easy to miss the potential or even comprehend the significance at all of some new idea. Even having acknowledge this concept in the past, I still needed the reminder in the video to see I was potentially making the mistake again in my own project. It's a good point to remind yourself of periodically.
scobar 10y ago
The part about risk resonated so much with me. I feel exactly the same way as Sam now, but it's taken many years and experiences to arrive at that mindset. I wonder if I would've taken his advice seriously when I was younger; it seems contrary to the advice I (and many others I assume) received about risk. To be clear, I suggest all young adults follow Sam's advice on risk.
omegant 10y ago
The point about feeling drained when the startup is failing, and feeling energized when you hit something people wants is spot on. My startup failed (as most do) and since it happened I've felt that I was not made for business. But recently I watched how my brother hit a strike with his company (still small but people is super interested) and I see how that keeps you much more energized. Maybe I'll try again soon, but this time I'm starting really small till it takes traction on it's own(another usual tip I didn' listened the first time...)
liquimoon 10y ago
YC is producing lots of fluffy content lately. I was very disappointed with the How to Build the Future series. Particularly, the interview with Elon Musk. The quality of the questions was mediocre at best. And the podcasts are just about showcasing YC companies. As an entrepreneur, I basically got zero value from these. PG should write more essays. Whenever one of them came out, I dropped whatever I was doing to read them.
- scobar 10y ago
  This reply is very late and you may not see it, but I wanted to express my thoughts. I appreciate the way Sam presents his thoughts (questions, answers, or otherwise). They're both extremely thoughtful and simple in a sense that he won't repel those who may feel below his level intellectually. Some of his points are so insightful, but it's taken me a lot of time, experience, and thought to be able to absorb or agree/disagree with them. Some just seem like simple advice that I should consider because I don't know enough to strongly believe he's right or wrong. Perhaps you're at a high enough level intellectually that his simply-stated yet thoughtful points are, by now, obvious to you. I definitely don't mean to imply otherwise. Unfortunately, I haven't found many writers whose thoughts are as insightful as PG's, but I am content with rereading his old essays as I'm certain I haven't thoroughly understood everything he's written at the depth of understanding that he or others may have.
icantdrive55 10y ago
I think everyone should watch this video, it gets better near the end. I think we need one of theses videos for the really poor kids. The kids who barely finished college due to finances though. He states his three factors to success are, 'focus, personal conviction, and self belief'. (Poor kids need to network. Poor kids need to make friends with rich kids. Poor kids can't fail, and take a vacation to unwind. Poor kids, and by poor kids, I mean generational poor. No wealthy grandparents, etc. My biggest mistake was finding upper, middle class kids very shallow. I just couldn't be around them growing up, and even in college. I would cringe when they talked about their problems. I should have held my nose, and try to win their company. I have no reason to lie. They will introduce you to people that have money.) He said work hard early on. (Yes, but don't blow a gasket. I had a nervous breakdown in my late twenties. Before that breakdown, I was doing what two people did. I literally felt like nothing couldn't be accomplished. I felt like Superman. Everyone is different, and you will statistically be fine. Just watch it.) He talks a lot about failing, and why it's not a bad thing. (That's great, but kids from a poor family only seem to have one big failure in them. It usually involves financing from credit cards. I guess if you know the right financiers, networked, or have family money failing/taking risk is not financial suicide, or living in a box somewhere. Poor kids have the real possibility of ending up homeless if they fail. There just a different mindset when you come from nothing.) "Successful people impact the world" I believe he said, 'Make the world a better place.' (That might be true for a handful, but let's get real; it's about making a lot of money. It's about the paper. I don't like it, but let's not romanize it--it's about making money. The financially successful don't like to admit it. And if you don't make money in life--there are more important things than narcisstically making a lot of money. Being a good, moral person goes a long way. Can attract the right girlfriend/boyfriend. It's not a crime to think like Jesus did. It might talk you a long way?) I think the best advice he gave was sticking with what you truly believe in. Yes--there's Twitter, and other examples, but I believe it's good advice. Go against the crowd caught my attention. If YC is still funding founders after 10-14 failures; I'm very impressed with the organization.

159 points by sandslash 10y ago

And here are the download links for the transcript and audio files if anyone is interested in tuning in offline: Transcript: https://goo.gl/8z2h1b https://goo.gl/8z2h1b Audio: https://goo.gl/D8h0NU https://goo.gl/D8h0NU

ycliu 10y ago
Here is a mind map version I made: https://milkr.io/yuecen/Sam-Altman-How-to-Build-the-Future https://milkr.io/yuecen/Sam-Altman-How-to-Build-the-Future

Mz 10y ago

Unfortunately, there is a bit too much unstated assumption of "just be lucky (fortunate) as hell in multiple metrics from an incredibly young age." This seriously undermines the value of this advice for at least 99% of people.

tlb 10y ago
If one did state that assumption, is there something useful one can then say about how to be lucky? Or can you give an example of a "here's how I succeeded at something, the same strategies might work for you" article that addresses luck in an actionable way?
- Mz 10y ago
  There are actually studies that quantify some of the differences in behavior between people who are lucky and people who are not. I think the actionable advice here wouod have to do with what pre-conditions must exist before this advice is meaningful and useful. Having some idea of what kind of situation you must create for yourself first would make it easier for people to recognize whether or not this advice can be applied to their life and, if not, what personal issues need to be addressed before this is useful advice.
  - YuriNiyazov 10y ago
    Would love to read these studies, do you have some references?
    - Mz 10y ago
      https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201005/make-your-own-luck https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201005/make-your-ow... http://www.bing.com/search?q=luck+studies&go=Submit&qs=n&form=QBLH&pq=luck+studies&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=&cvid=547E8CA0AFB843C49FFBFF22573E7274 http://www.bing.com/search?q=luck+studies&go=Submit&qs=n&for... http://www.forbes.com/sites/michakaufman/2015/01/30/embracing-the-upside-risk-of-entrepreneurship/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/michakaufman/2015/01/30/embracin... http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surface-area http://www.codusoperandi.com/posts/increasing-your-luck-surf...
      - joaorico 10y ago
        In addition to those, mostly as an example on how to start a actionable framework on luck, there's James Austin's 4 definitions of luck, see e.g. pmarca's old blog entry about it: http://pmarchive.com/luck_and_the_entrepreneur.html http://pmarchive.com/luck_and_the_entrepreneur.html
hood_syntax 10y ago
Frankly there's no point in giving this kind of advice to the 99% you're talking about (I include myself in that group). Most people do not have the opportunities (most important) or capability (still important) to do anything these people do.
- Mz 10y ago
  As someone who is both a homeless woman and the top ranked woman on HN, I don't remotely agree with you.
lint_roller 10y ago
One of the hardest things to accept about life is that there are no guarantees. You play with the hand you're dealt.
- projektir 10y ago
  But we should remember that when the cards are dealt, we are not alone. Some of us may have better cards than others, but a combination could be further stronger still.
namank 10y ago
Seems to me, the advice is all about surrounding yourself with good people.
sama 10y ago
Luck is a massive, massive factor in many ways, but I generally think you should make decisions as if it weren't a factor.
- Mz 10y ago
  While I agree that you should "plan for the worst, hope for the best," YC started with a very idealistic concept that a couple of guys with a couple of computers and a few thousand dollars could seek to be Ramen Profitable (instead of seeking to be the next unicorn). You personally benefitted from that philosophy. It would be nice if the tradition that YC is for the common man with big dreams and little capital were continued.
- venkynarayanan 10y ago
  By luck do mean like, riding a wave (unknowingly) just when it has started which turns out to be a pretty huge wave thus enabling you to build something massive.

lifeisstillgood 10y ago

It strikes me you need to slice him thin and use a lot of glue and even then I doubt you could build much more than a big yurt. Maybe I need to read the article more carefully. (A little more seriously the idea of finding the Venn overlap point between Good At, Love Doing, Adds Value is nice. Does not help me find my next big idea but at least is a filter)

koolba 10y ago

> Jack: I'm Jack, Sam's brother, and we are here in our backyard, where we also live with our other brother. Wait do all three of you live together in one house in your 30s? That's awesome! EDIT: Just to be clear, this comment is in no way intended to be sarcastic! I really think it's amazing for three brothers to live together in their 30s. The notion that each has to go their separate way after one turns 18/21/25 is bullshit. Life is more fun together and there's inherent economies of scale as well (both financial and social).

chamakits 10y ago
I agree. I'm from Puerto Rico, where I think it's more common to live and grow up within driving distance of a big part of your family. Now as an adult I've moved to the US, where it's much more common to move far from your family. I grew up expecting that I would always have my close family near, and I still struggle with the fact that's probably not going to be the case. I would absolutely love to live near or with my brother and parents still. Definitely would need a way that would allow us to have private spaces when we want, but I miss being able to see close family with just 30 minutes of traveling.
- icebraining 10y ago
  While the US has a more mobile population, most Americans still live within half an hour of where they grew up: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-family.html http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/24/upshot/24up-fa...
  - chamakits 10y ago
    Oh, interesting! Don't know why I would have assumed it to be less than that. Thanks for this article, good to learn something new.
sama 10y ago
They're in their 20s but yeah--we have a good time!
10y ago

misiti3780 10y ago

"One of the only arbitrage opportunities left is time." - I like that, and definitely believe it. First time I have heard it also.

westoncb 10y ago
Could someone expand on that a little? (I'm assuming the intended definition of 'arbitrage' here is along the lines of "The purchase of securities on one market for immediate resale on another market in order to profit from a price discrepancy.")

flyosity 10y ago

I'm sure this will get downvoted into oblivion, but why should I or other engineers/entrepreneurs look at Sam Altman as a massive startup success story when his lone startup Loopt never really achieved product-market fit, and ended up in a firesale? Across 5 funding rounds, Crunchbase lists Loopt as having raised $39 million and then was acquired (acqui-hired?) for $43 million. He didn't create any multiples of value for his investors. Loopt wasn't a breakout hit like so many other YC startups have been. It was certainly one of the first interesting location-based apps in the App Store, but soon was surrounded by other location-based apps and never really appeared to surface and gain traction. Obviously Sam runs YC now and has dramatically improved it, but in the lens of being an entrepreneur, isn't he still essentially unproven, and not a success story in the startup world?

drzaiusapelord 10y ago
While we're at it, how about Mark Cuban? Did Broadcast.com ever work past a basic stage? Did it ever have huge, if any, positive revenues? It really sounds like he bought a domain name and fucked around a little with html and won big in the dotcom craze. A lot of "heroes" in this world are fairly fraudulent. Worse, some went from young tech luminaries to older VC sharks with questionable ethics like Mark Andreeson. I think coding and tech, in general, is mostly a meritocracy, but on the business end its practically the lottery. Right time, right place and other luck of the draws determine financial success just as much as the merit of the product, if not more so.
- hugs 10y ago
  There's yet another kind of startup founder, who merely starts a successful company that makes millions of dollars per year and is still in business almost a decade later. The company doesn't fail, but it doesn't have a huge blow-out liquidity event, either. The founder remains heads-down, in the trenches, with no interest in going the VC route. Regardless, they're in a boring B2B niche, so you'll never read about them.
  - nibs 10y ago

davecyen 10y ago

Main takeaway: Work on something together w/ people you like and on an idea that you are truly excited about and strongly opinionated on. Shit will get hard and most people will quit too soon (esp if they don't like each other or don't care about what they're doing). Don't be those people.

razvan_ro 10y ago

Why is Sam's brother the one interviewing him?? I find it slightly cringy. What authority does he have / what has he done, that makes him a good candidate to interview Sam? Is this meant to help shine some light on Sam's brother and his startup?

daveguy 10y ago
These are fairly standard questions for the "How to Build the Future" series[0]. Sam normally does the interviewing, but in this case he had his brother ask the questions. Sam has been asking a lot of entrepreneurs these same questions (the Musk interview was particularly good[1]). Sam having his brother ask those same questions of him didn't come across as particularly cringy to me. It would have been more awkward if he read the questions and then answered them. [0]https://www.ycombinator.com/future/ https://www.ycombinator.com/future/ [1]https://www.ycombinator.com/future/elon/ https://www.ycombinator.com/future/elon/

westoncb 10y ago

I especially liked the point about not seeing criticism or lack of attention as necessarily being red flags. It's sort of counter-intuitive that this would be the case because after something fairly radically new becomes popular there's so much positive said about it. It's an easy leap to assume that praise was always present, and that lack of it in your case is a signal that what you're working on won't succeed—but it seems like in actuality, when you're doing something novel enough people aren't going to 'get it' immediately by definition. It's also easy to assume that those you speak to about your work will approach it with the optimism and energy with which you regard it, and without a little optimism and sustained attention it's easy to miss the potential or even comprehend the significance at all of some new idea. Even having acknowledge this concept in the past, I still needed the reminder in the video to see I was potentially making the mistake again in my own project. It's a good point to remind yourself of periodically.

scobar 10y ago

The part about risk resonated so much with me. I feel exactly the same way as Sam now, but it's taken many years and experiences to arrive at that mindset. I wonder if I would've taken his advice seriously when I was younger; it seems contrary to the advice I (and many others I assume) received about risk. To be clear, I suggest all young adults follow Sam's advice on risk.

omegant 10y ago

The point about feeling drained when the startup is failing, and feeling energized when you hit something people wants is spot on. My startup failed (as most do) and since it happened I've felt that I was not made for business. But recently I watched how my brother hit a strike with his company (still small but people is super interested) and I see how that keeps you much more energized. Maybe I'll try again soon, but this time I'm starting really small till it takes traction on it's own(another usual tip I didn' listened the first time...)

liquimoon 10y ago

YC is producing lots of fluffy content lately. I was very disappointed with the How to Build the Future series. Particularly, the interview with Elon Musk. The quality of the questions was mediocre at best. And the podcasts are just about showcasing YC companies. As an entrepreneur, I basically got zero value from these. PG should write more essays. Whenever one of them came out, I dropped whatever I was doing to read them.

scobar 10y ago
This reply is very late and you may not see it, but I wanted to express my thoughts. I appreciate the way Sam presents his thoughts (questions, answers, or otherwise). They're both extremely thoughtful and simple in a sense that he won't repel those who may feel below his level intellectually. Some of his points are so insightful, but it's taken me a lot of time, experience, and thought to be able to absorb or agree/disagree with them. Some just seem like simple advice that I should consider because I don't know enough to strongly believe he's right or wrong. Perhaps you're at a high enough level intellectually that his simply-stated yet thoughtful points are, by now, obvious to you. I definitely don't mean to imply otherwise. Unfortunately, I haven't found many writers whose thoughts are as insightful as PG's, but I am content with rereading his old essays as I'm certain I haven't thoroughly understood everything he's written at the depth of understanding that he or others may have.

icantdrive55 10y ago

I think everyone should watch this video, it gets better near the end. I think we need one of theses videos for the really poor kids. The kids who barely finished college due to finances though. He states his three factors to success are, 'focus, personal conviction, and self belief'. (Poor kids need to network. Poor kids need to make friends with rich kids. Poor kids can't fail, and take a vacation to unwind. Poor kids, and by poor kids, I mean generational poor. No wealthy grandparents, etc. My biggest mistake was finding upper, middle class kids very shallow. I just couldn't be around them growing up, and even in college. I would cringe when they talked about their problems. I should have held my nose, and try to win their company. I have no reason to lie. They will introduce you to people that have money.) He said work hard early on. (Yes, but don't blow a gasket. I had a nervous breakdown in my late twenties. Before that breakdown, I was doing what two people did. I literally felt like nothing couldn't be accomplished. I felt like Superman. Everyone is different, and you will statistically be fine. Just watch it.) He talks a lot about failing, and why it's not a bad thing. (That's great, but kids from a poor family only seem to have one big failure in them. It usually involves financing from credit cards. I guess if you know the right financiers, networked, or have family money failing/taking risk is not financial suicide, or living in a box somewhere. Poor kids have the real possibility of ending up homeless if they fail. There just a different mindset when you come from nothing.) "Successful people impact the world" I believe he said, 'Make the world a better place.' (That might be true for a handful, but let's get real; it's about making a lot of money. It's about the paper. I don't like it, but let's not romanize it--it's about making money. The financially successful don't like to admit it. And if you don't make money in life--there are more important things than narcisstically making a lot of money. Being a good, moral person goes a long way. Can attract the right girlfriend/boyfriend. It's not a crime to think like Jesus did. It might talk you a long way?) I think the best advice he gave was sticking with what you truly believe in. Yes--there's Twitter, and other examples, but I believe it's good advice. Go against the crowd caught my attention. If YC is still funding founders after 10-14 failures; I'm very impressed with the organization.