Hi Sam, what skills would you learn today to maximize your "founder potential"?
Web/mobile development is kind of commodity already. One can learn nuclear physics, but it doesn't feel like you can hack on it a lot.
I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
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Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#222Hey Sam! Much respect. Sometimes when I watch an interview with you (such as a recent Stanford class), it seems like the discussion is very one-sided. I don't perceive you normally as stating your opinions authoritatively, but I fear that many are afraid to contest your claims or disagree with you, even in violation of their own beliefs. My questions are first whether you have noticed any kind of mass-submissiveness…
Interesting. It feels like people disagree with me all day! I've noticed that the best founders are the most likely to disagree (and have well-reasoned arguments).
I really hope I never get to the point in life where people stop disagreeing with me.
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#2231. Would / will you ever consider opening an East Coast branch? I understand all the "stuff" about why SV is great for startups, but there will always be people who can't /won't get up and travel completely to the other side of the country for an extended period of time. And while the EC might not be the startup hotbed that SV area is, it's quite clear that there is a LOT of startup activity and some great startups b…
1. Never say never, but no current plans (and honestly, it might make more sense to do something outside the US next). The hardest part would be convincing some of our partners to move out there, or finding new ones we could train out here first. 2. Not ready to talk about specific areas, but I promise they are interesting ones :) It will be super super easy for our researchers to collaborate with outsider researcher…
Canada perhaps (specifically Kitchener-Waterloo)?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#224Which came first: Hacker News or Reddit?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#2251. Would / will you ever consider opening an East Coast branch? I understand all the "stuff" about why SV is great for startups, but there will always be people who can't /won't get up and travel completely to the other side of the country for an extended period of time. And while the EC might not be the startup hotbed that SV area is, it's quite clear that there is a LOT of startup activity and some great startups b…
1. Never say never, but no current plans (and honestly, it might make more sense to do something outside the US next). The hardest part would be convincing some of our partners to move out there, or finding new ones we could train out here first. 2. Not ready to talk about specific areas, but I promise they are interesting ones :) It will be super super easy for our researchers to collaborate with outsider researcher…
South America?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#226Do you think ycr will host public lecture series for interesting research topics?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#227Would you consider opening a branch of YC in Manchester, UK? Huge amount of talent there being wasted in banks and consulting companies. Low living costs, excellent universities, large pool of engineering talent, growing startup community.
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#228I'm mid-application for the YC Winter 2016 cycle, but I'm concerned because neither my cofounder nor I come from a technical background, yet our idea is technical. Do you see this as a deterrent to being accepted?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#229What are some qualities of a CEO that you wish to look for in a startup founder?
Re: I am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator – AMA
#230Can you expand on your tweet that said you don't think selling software is a good business? Why isn't it a good business? What makes it so tough?