The concern is that Sam is offering this advice for founders not investors - and many would lap it up given the authority he has and make suboptimal decisions a

The concern is that Sam is offering this advice for founders not investors - and many would lap it up given the authority he has and make suboptimal decisions about their startup. I think YC is probably HEAVILY influenced by appearance. Wrestle with the data little bit, check all the right boxes, prep that video, get some intros and your YC MBA is set. Customers largely couldnt care less about one-man shows and even if in any specific case they do, it is very easy to 'look' like a company on the internet or in real life. Amazon has always been a one-man show - but maybe thats why they never made money.