Video · long

How to Start a Startup (Lecture Series)

Sam Altman, Paul Graham, YC founders · startupclass.samaltman.com Free Intermediate

The canonical YC lecture series covering the fundamentals, including how top founders think about persistence, iteration, and knowing when to change course. Free, primary-source video from the people who built the playbook.

  • Growth and making something people want are the two north stars, pivot toward them
  • Persistence and determination matter more than the initial idea
  • Founders should iterate relentlessly based on user evidence
  • Distinguishing loyalty to an idea from loyalty to customers is a key founder skill
Open on startupclass.samaltman.com ↗

It answers 2 questions

  1. How do I know if I should pivot or just keep pushing?
  2. How do I actually run a pivot without losing the whole team's trust?

Read with it

  1. The single most reassuring and clarifying essay for a founder on the edge of quitting, Graham's core insight that startups die... paulgraham.com Article · short How Not to Die Paul Graham
  2. The definitive, brutally honest account of 'The Struggle', the emotional and operational reality of running a company when... HarperBusiness Book · long The Hard Thing About Hard Things Ben Horowitz
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