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Paul Graham

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Something I explained to 12 yo: The biggest startups are always where two basic forces meet. E.g. Facebook = social relationships + internet. But these ideas are rarely found by

Something surprising I've learned from forums: intellectual dishonesty is an art form. When I write an essay on a controversial topic, I can usually predict what the median attack on

Startups are subject to something like infant mortality: before they're established, one thing going wrong can kill the company. Hardware companies seem to be subject to infant mortality their whole

One big advantage a founder CEO has over appointed ones: the founder CEO can have a thesis about the identity of the company that's used to guide decisions. An appointed

The most surprising thing I've learned from being involved with nonprofits is that they are a magnet for sociopaths. One's naive reaction is "Why would nonprofits attract them? Nonprofits do

When I was a kid, people who hoped one day to be in politics were careful never to smoke pot. The current generation of kids will be careful never to

Later-stage investors who disparage seed investing as "spray and pray" don't realize that "pray" can be replaced by "help." It's an understandable oversight. The later you invest, the less you

Kids now have no idea how exciting a great retail store could be before the web. It used to be that you could only buy (or even know about) whatever

Founders worry too much about highly funded competitors. Usually funding matters less than the founders' ability. In the short term, a highly funded competitor can hurt you by e.g. lowering

Usually inexperienced founders err too much on the side of paranoia. About keeping their idea secret for example. But they err too much in the other direction when hiring executive

Two principles I've been teaching my 11 yo about programming:1. Whenever you change a program, test it.2. Adjust the size of your changes based on your confidence. Start with small

Investors: Any startup that gets started during the next few months is disproportionately likely to succeed. Success depends most of all on determination, and imagine how determined you have to