a couple things I get from Max's story, one that has certainly been told repeatedly but is none the less quite amazing: 1) at 22 - he was not trying to be the

a couple things I get from Max's story, one that has certainly been told repeatedly but is none the less quite amazing: 1) at 22 - he was not trying to be the CEO - he was hacking away at someone else's startup. 2) He was lucky enough to hit it huge with PayPal - but the result they achieved was a direct result of that 18 hours a day mentality and tenacity. 3) Age 29 or 30 is no time to be retired, lecturing, or enjoying long winey lunches at Boulevard - this is the classic "go out and get it phase of your life" 4) Starting a startup with 100 million in your bank account makes it much easier but is no guarantee of market success. 5) And for all of those winter 2008 YC applicants that didn't get the call (myself included) - the greatest startups in the valley did it without YC - so can you