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You're really just making shit up here. He didn't get $50 million for his startup within 15 minutes of meeting Paul Graham. YC's deal back then was for about

by wheels 2y ago

You're really just making shit up here. He didn't get $50 million for his startup within 15 minutes of meeting Paul Graham. YC's deal back then was for about $15k per startup for 7%. Loopt didn't even over its several years raise $50 million -- it was around $30 million, and that happened over a space of several rounds over several years. I was in YC a few batches later and met Paul Graham and Sam in that era. I remember walking around San Fracisco with Sam and him telling me about Loopt. He was a few years younger than me (I was 29, he was 24), and I remember being impressed by him. And it's possible that Sam listed his age at 19 on his YC application, and that's what PG was going on. He would have probably still been 19 when he filled out the application. Again, this isn't hard to verify -- his birthday is on Wikipedia, and he was in the summer batch of 2005. Interviews are about a month before the batch starts. But there's not really a lot of my point that hinges on if it was a month before or a month after his birthday when they met. More my point was that the stuff about him investing in Stripe as a teenager because PG "gave" it to him is completely bogus. It really seems like you have an axe to grind here, and I'm not completely sure why. Again, I think some of the stuff that's happened later in OpenAI is worthy of criticism, but that doesn't mean you have to reinterpret everything that happened before that through some bogyman lens.

apwell23 2y ago
> It really seems like you have an axe to grind here, and I'm not completely sure why. Yea because ppl getting unfair leg up because they were chosen as the "next bill gates" by a SV white male because they look like them is merely an "axe to grind". You still haven't answered why you think he is like an olympian when he met PG other than "He is impressive because he is impressive". I feel like i am in some kind of weirdo land here with totally ridiculous boasts about someone that no one can name an actual accomplishment > like an olympian > michaal jordan of listening > bill gates at 19 > his brain will be cloned by 2029 You guys need to send this to HBO for next Silicon Valley season.
- wheels 2y ago
  I wasn't comparing Sam to an Olympian; I was comparing you to one. Just because you were working in a donut shop at that age doesn't mean that that's the benchmark for achievement. Some people go to the Olympics. I honestly don't know enough about Sam's achievements before then to know if he'd done impressive things. The whole "white man" thing is also a complete straw man. The other two YC-founders-turned YC CEOs of that era were Michael Seibel and Garry Tan, neither of whom are white. It sounds like what you're offended by is the whole YC process -- that there are quick interviews that (back then) translated to small amounts of funding -- that literally the decision was made in a single interview. But that wasn't anything specific to Sam; that's how it worked for everyone. You can find that stupid if you want to, but then might I suggest this is an odd forum to hang out on if you find that to be offensive?
  - apwell23 2y ago
    > I was comparing you to one. Just because you were working in a donut shop at that age doesn't mean that that's the benchmark for achievement. Some people go to the Olympics. I honestly don't know enough about Sam's achievements before then to know if he'd done impressive things. Exactly. I was comparing myself to him when i mentioned that I worked at a donut shop. At that age I ( and many others) were indistinguishable from him. I went to an ivy league too btw. Your olympian thing is absurd here because a teenager destined to be an olympian is indeed very distinguishable from his/her peers very easily, ppl can tell why this person is special. You keep saying Sam was special ( next bill gates) but fail to tell me why. I asked you multiple times too , but instead you keep attacking me instead for not accepting circular "he is impressive because he is impressive" . > But that wasn't anything specific to Sam; that's how it worked for everyone. I just told you but you keep ignoring. Did PG mention anyone else was bill gates or Michael Jordan to his VC friends and publicly in interviews. (Ironic, given Michael Jordan is one the most impressive athletes that came from no where ). Or continuously give him leg up despite failed ventures ( loopt or whatever). I cannot think of anyone else who failed upwards like Sam because he had PG to back him with ridiculous and vacuous pumping of Sam's so called genius.
    - wheels 2y ago

by wheels 2y ago

apwell23 2y ago

> It really seems like you have an axe to grind here, and I'm not completely sure why. Yea because ppl getting unfair leg up because they were chosen as the "next bill gates" by a SV white male because they look like them is merely an "axe to grind". You still haven't answered why you think he is like an olympian when he met PG other than "He is impressive because he is impressive". I feel like i am in some kind of weirdo land here with totally ridiculous boasts about someone that no one can name an actual accomplishment > like an olympian > michaal jordan of listening > bill gates at 19 > his brain will be cloned by 2029 You guys need to send this to HBO for next Silicon Valley season.

wheels 2y ago
I wasn't comparing Sam to an Olympian; I was comparing you to one. Just because you were working in a donut shop at that age doesn't mean that that's the benchmark for achievement. Some people go to the Olympics. I honestly don't know enough about Sam's achievements before then to know if he'd done impressive things. The whole "white man" thing is also a complete straw man. The other two YC-founders-turned YC CEOs of that era were Michael Seibel and Garry Tan, neither of whom are white. It sounds like what you're offended by is the whole YC process -- that there are quick interviews that (back then) translated to small amounts of funding -- that literally the decision was made in a single interview. But that wasn't anything specific to Sam; that's how it worked for everyone. You can find that stupid if you want to, but then might I suggest this is an odd forum to hang out on if you find that to be offensive?
- apwell23 2y ago
  > I was comparing you to one. Just because you were working in a donut shop at that age doesn't mean that that's the benchmark for achievement. Some people go to the Olympics. I honestly don't know enough about Sam's achievements before then to know if he'd done impressive things. Exactly. I was comparing myself to him when i mentioned that I worked at a donut shop. At that age I ( and many others) were indistinguishable from him. I went to an ivy league too btw. Your olympian thing is absurd here because a teenager destined to be an olympian is indeed very distinguishable from his/her peers very easily, ppl can tell why this person is special. You keep saying Sam was special ( next bill gates) but fail to tell me why. I asked you multiple times too , but instead you keep attacking me instead for not accepting circular "he is impressive because he is impressive" . > But that wasn't anything specific to Sam; that's how it worked for everyone. I just told you but you keep ignoring. Did PG mention anyone else was bill gates or Michael Jordan to his VC friends and publicly in interviews. (Ironic, given Michael Jordan is one the most impressive athletes that came from no where ). Or continuously give him leg up despite failed ventures ( loopt or whatever). I cannot think of anyone else who failed upwards like Sam because he had PG to back him with ridiculous and vacuous pumping of Sam's so called genius.
  - wheels 2y ago