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Y Combinator’s New Head

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41–50 of 110 posts

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#41
post #2

No disrespect to Sam in any way -- he truly seems like a brilliant guy with a chorus of influential people behind him -- but I've been on a successful-person wikipedia binge as of late, and it's become very, very clear that a person's upbringing almost determines whether or not they're going to be successfull, which saddens me. I grew up to some very close-minded parents who severely limited my growth, forced me to f…

[deleted]

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#42
post #30

> “It’s remarkable when somebody is both extroverted and smart,” > “Picture a smart person,” said Graham. “You don’t imagine somebody who is really good at talking to people, you picture someone really awkward.” This statement seems really weird to me. Looking at all the people I've known in my life the smartest people, at least in in terms of academic and financial achievements, are the extroverts. Extroverted and s…

Oh I don't know where we even get that stereotype from. Oh wait, I do, because Albert Einstein was an introvert and preferred to be alone. More recent examples: Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak.

I think there are just as many examples of world-class smart people on the other end of the outgoing/charismatic curve: Von Neumann, Feynman, Bohr, Russell, Hilbert off the top of my head.

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#43
Not really of any importance to the article, but:

> It’s not crazy for Sam Altman’s phone bill to rack up 6,000 talking minutes in a month. He talks a lot, to a lot of people.

Maybe 6000 is above average, but is it even close to 'crazy' for anyone? That's only 3.3 hours a day, I probably hit that on week days for work alone (sure plenty of people will have jobs where less phone calls are needed), and with family and friends (several who I'll have regular long chats with, rather than just 30 second calls) I think I definitely go above 6000 a month, and I don't consider myself a massively heavy phone user.

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also didn't know, but I am curious why you find his sexuality more interesting than anything else in this story?

Being gay, I also found it particularly interesting. Akin to the Female Founders Conference, it's energizing to see successful LGBT founders.

I'm exactly the same, but don't particularly like it... I do pay lots of attention to who's gay, from celebrities to people I come across personally, and the logical side of my brain tells me it's irrelevant, while the emotional side can't stop caring. (Also gay.)

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#45
post #2

No disrespect to Sam in any way -- he truly seems like a brilliant guy with a chorus of influential people behind him -- but I've been on a successful-person wikipedia binge as of late, and it's become very, very clear that a person's upbringing almost determines whether or not they're going to be successfull, which saddens me. I grew up to some very close-minded parents who severely limited my growth, forced me to f…

...it's become very, very clear that a person's upbringing almost determines whether or not they're going to be successful...

The old town drunk died. His two sons, the bank president and the new town drunk were at his funeral. An onlooker, surprised at how different the two sons were, asked each one how he turned out the way he did.

The bank president responded, "With a father like that, how else could I turn out?"

The new town drunk responded, "With a father like that, how else could I turn out?"

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#46
post #36

Given all this over-the-top fawning from Graham, Thiel, etc, one thing comes to mind: "Where's the beef?" AFAIK, he only has one failed startup to his name, and yet he is hailed as a shrewd thinker and top startup strategist. For those who know and respect Sam, how would you reconcile his amazing status/respect-from-top-people with his lack of concrete achievements?

My guess is that he is an excellent adviser; his success is the success of people he helps. And I do not say that in a derogatory note. Being a consultant myself, I recognize that my advice may be valuable but only given the context of people who make use of it properly. Now, you can allocate merit between adviser and advised in whatever manner suits better your perception of the world.

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#47
post #36

Given all this over-the-top fawning from Graham, Thiel, etc, one thing comes to mind: "Where's the beef?" AFAIK, he only has one failed startup to his name, and yet he is hailed as a shrewd thinker and top startup strategist. For those who know and respect Sam, how would you reconcile his amazing status/respect-from-top-people with his lack of concrete achievements?

I don't know or respect Sam (well, don't respect him more or less than anyone else reading about him), but 'success' depends on many things, it's possible for idiots to find it and for geniuses to miss it, whether because they aimed too high, or were with the wrong people, or luck, or...

But when it comes to personal opinions/endorsements it comes down to more than what can be written on a CV. I'm sure you judge your friends and colleagues based on your personal take on them rather than by looking at a checklist of their achievements, so why would it be different for people who know Sam?

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#49
post #43

Not really of any importance to the article, but: > It’s not crazy for Sam Altman’s phone bill to rack up 6,000 talking minutes in a month. He talks a lot, to a lot of people. Maybe 6000 is above average, but is it even close to 'crazy' for anyone? That's only 3.3 hours a day, I probably hit that on week days for work alone (sure plenty of people will have jobs where less phone calls are needed), and with family and…

Do you work in sales? What do you spend so much time on the phone for? I spend ~1 hr a week on the phone and it's all to my family.

Re: Y Combinator’s New Head

#50
post #2

No disrespect to Sam in any way -- he truly seems like a brilliant guy with a chorus of influential people behind him -- but I've been on a successful-person wikipedia binge as of late, and it's become very, very clear that a person's upbringing almost determines whether or not they're going to be successfull, which saddens me. I grew up to some very close-minded parents who severely limited my growth, forced me to f…

There's always the possibility for second acts, even moreso in this world where the rate of technological innovation and change is speeding up. But you vastly increase your odds of this by moving to a locale where you have the best odds of serendipity, namely Silicon Valley/SF or NYC. Without going into personal detail, I can guarantee this from experience.
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