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How Universities Should Prepare Founders

paulgraham.com

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Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#161

Post by maleldil »

locknitpicker wrote: post #129
ErigmolCt wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe the failure mode isn't the PhD itself, but environments where publishing becomes the objective rather than a byproduct of getting unusually good at understanding and building things

> (...) a byproduct of getting unusually good at understanding and building things A PhD is not about getting good at understanding something, let alone "unusually good". It's about being able to explore an uncharted area with little to no help, and write down your learnings so that those that come after you can build upon your work.

In an ideal world, sure. In reality, a PhD[1] is about publishing papers in the hope that you learn something along the way.

[1] My experience in ML in 2026.

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#162

Post by mettamage »

> whereas the laziest students already learn so little that there's not much room for them to do worse

Source needed

Also if he talks about 90% of all students not being founders then I want data on all 90% before I accept this argument as it seems hastily thought out

I do agree with the general ideas in his essay but these kind of comments that I cite make it seem a bit… too self-interested?

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#163

Post by beklein »

bix6 wrote: post #61

I don’t necessarily disagree with this but is it the universities job to prepare founders at the expense of everyone else? Under his proposal the motivated founders succeed and everyone else is a loser. This is a very VC focused lens that ignores all the other possible outcomes a human could pursue that are valuable. Established corps need workers, unis need new teachers, hospitals need doctors, etc. So we should let…

"In fact there are only two things universities need to change to be perfect at preparing founders: they need to make students feel that starting a startup is something they can do, and they need to encourage them to work on their own projects."

I'd argue that both of these would be highly beneficial for all kinds of students, founders and non-founders alike.

Starting a startup could be generalized for all students to having a dream or goal, taking ownership of it, and making it happen. A startup is just one possible path, pg is probably too specific here, I would agree.

Having more free time to work on my own projects is probably the freedom I missed most at university. I think learning to choose what to work on and making something happen would benefit future workers, teachers, doctors, and engineers just as much as entrepreneurs.

It's a trade-off in terms of time and other resources, since parts of the existing curriculum would have to fade away. But I think it's a good starting point for change and a good direction to move in.

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#164

Post by oytis »

bix6 wrote: post #61

I don’t necessarily disagree with this but is it the universities job to prepare founders at the expense of everyone else? Under his proposal the motivated founders succeed and everyone else is a loser. This is a very VC focused lens that ignores all the other possible outcomes a human could pursue that are valuable. Established corps need workers, unis need new teachers, hospitals need doctors, etc. So we should let…

My first reflex would be to ctiticise PG, but after reading the article, I don't think I agree here.

First he doesn't say universities should prepare founders - his advice is to those universities that do want to do that.

Second, his advice is basically to skip BS business education and make students good professionals, well-rounded intellectuals, not afraid of starting a business. Anyone would benefit from such education, not only prospective founders

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#166

Post by pj_mukh »

gogo61 wrote: post #155
pj_mukh wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

N=1 but my dead VC funded YC company taught me more about the ins and outs of what it takes to run a complex successful engineering and sales operation than any number of years in business school or grinding in consultancies. YMMV you do have to have a different less nihilistic mindset but it really is a bit of a Neo in the Matrix moment because it lets you see through a bit of the corporate veneer to see the complex…

Have you studied in a business school or grinded in consultancies?

Yes obviously.

But just to caveat, its not YC or VC funding that is critical.

It’s the act of building something and trying to sell it that is.

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#167

Post by rvz »

abu-matterize wrote: post #87

mostly agree, universities should also encourage a throw away prototypes, students should start building instead of thinking/speaking about building.

> students should start building instead of thinking/speaking about building.

100%. This is great timeless advice.

Just build now instead of waiting or asking someone else or thinking about building.

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#168

Post by jimnotgym »

trimethylpurine wrote: post #132
jimnotgym wrote: post #116

I just wondered, what is YCs success rate vs other business or career options? I think universities should focus on academic studies, not as a pipeline to YC.

Universities are doing what they need to do to make money. That's not applicable to teachers who may often times be doing what they need to do to matter to you (because that's what they genuinely want for themselves).

It's amazing really that this drive is there. Obviously a university needs some money, but...

The top universities have been successfull for over 900 years in focusing on having the best teaching and research. Do we really think that will go away, rich people will stop wanting their kids to have the best education?

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#169

Post by pj_mukh »

ignoramous wrote: post #158
pj_mukh wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

N=1 but my dead VC funded YC company taught me more about the ins and outs of what it takes to run a complex successful engineering and sales operation than any number of years in business school or grinding in consultancies. YMMV you do have to have a different less nihilistic mindset but it really is a bit of a Neo in the Matrix moment because it lets you see through a bit of the corporate veneer to see the complex…

> VC funded YC company taught me more ... really is a bit of a Neo in the Matrix moment ... ends up making you a 10x more effective corporate worker if that’s where you end up No doubt there are learnings worth a lifetime, and changes that alter careers. You hope, the sense of superiority the experience seems to breed is not merely a coping mechanism, but an exercise in positive self-image [0] [0] https://news.ycombi…

“the sense of superiority the experience seems to breed”

Mostly an extremely online problem, not a real world one. More so the nature of the medium in fact.

Evidenced by how you edited out the “dead” in front of VC funded when you were quoting me. You read the tone you want to read.

Re: How Universities Should Prepare Founders

#170

Post by figassis »

dofm wrote: post #152

This is shockingly vapid and wishy-washy even for PG. Leaving this weird, rather Valley-specific, even YC-specific, navel-gazing definition of "founder" aside, universities should do what they promise to do for their students. And if possible for way, way, way less money. He seems quite out of touch with the level of economic hardship involved in being a student; a huge number of students already work a couple of job…

I don't know how a university could package this, or package "experience" or. "building", etc. I went to college, did engineering and also did economics and did "entrepreneurship". The last 2 were useful not in a sense that they unlocked anything, but I was already starting a business by my second or third year, that I run to this day. I took the courses because I felt I needed them as I bootstrapped. Went on to build multiple startups since. Never went to YC though.

So something was already brewing in me much earlier, and idk what advice to give, honestly not sure how a university can inject this into students. But I think the useful part of the advice is to get universities to stop packaging "entrepreneurship" courses as the path to actual entrepreneurship.

What percentage of students in those classes actually go on to become founders? Willing to bet the numbers aren't encouraging.

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