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He was in the first batch of YC startups with a feature phone location-aware app called Loopt. Once smartphones came along, it became largely obsolete, and star

He was in the first batch of YC startups with a feature phone location-aware app called Loopt. Once smartphones came along, it became largely obsolete, and started to become irrelevant, but still got acquired under questionable circumstances anyway, enough for Altman to get rich: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3684357 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3684357 From there he became a VC and ultimately president of YC.

876978095789789 4y ago
I'm not sure if I should elaborate further, but in the last years of Loopt, it actually devolved into a hook-up app servicing the gay community, basically Grindr before Grindr: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=385178 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=385178 I guess he was ahead of his time, in a way? Still, I've never forgotten that this silly "success" was the first big exit of the most touted YC founder, ever.
- sebzim4500 4y ago
  I think that's just being ahead of your time, no qualification needed.
  - 876978095789789 4y ago
    I guess, but I remember even as far back as 2007, pg was excessively touting sama. During an interview, when asked which founder(s) impressed him most, he immediately replied, almost cutting the interviewer off, "Sam Altman." Which struck me as odd then since reddit (same batch) seemed much bigger, and Scribd and Justin.tv (later Twitch) had started to take off. Then there was that "Sam Altman for President" post, announcing him as the next YC president, but the subtext seemed to be that pg thought sama would make a good POTUS as well. Then there was actual talk that Sam would run for Governor: https://www.vox.com/2017/5/14/15638046/willie-brown-column-sam-altman-might-run-governor-california-2018 https://www.vox.com/2017/5/14/15638046/willie-brown-column-s... It's as if his success was predestined. Loopt should have been a failure, but instead it ended up being a successful exit, made him rich(er), and became a stepping stone to greater things.

876978095789789 4y ago

I'm not sure if I should elaborate further, but in the last years of Loopt, it actually devolved into a hook-up app servicing the gay community, basically Grindr before Grindr: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=385178 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=385178 I guess he was ahead of his time, in a way? Still, I've never forgotten that this silly "success" was the first big exit of the most touted YC founder, ever.

sebzim4500 4y ago
I think that's just being ahead of your time, no qualification needed.
- 876978095789789 4y ago
  I guess, but I remember even as far back as 2007, pg was excessively touting sama. During an interview, when asked which founder(s) impressed him most, he immediately replied, almost cutting the interviewer off, "Sam Altman." Which struck me as odd then since reddit (same batch) seemed much bigger, and Scribd and Justin.tv (later Twitch) had started to take off. Then there was that "Sam Altman for President" post, announcing him as the next YC president, but the subtext seemed to be that pg thought sama would make a good POTUS as well. Then there was actual talk that Sam would run for Governor: https://www.vox.com/2017/5/14/15638046/willie-brown-column-sam-altman-might-run-governor-california-2018 https://www.vox.com/2017/5/14/15638046/willie-brown-column-s... It's as if his success was predestined. Loopt should have been a failure, but instead it ended up being a successful exit, made him rich(er), and became a stepping stone to greater things.