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Startup Playbook

Sam Altman · playbook.samaltman.com Free Beginner

Altman's condensed operating manual for founders, including sharp guidance on focus, spending your time on what only you can do, and prioritization. Primary source, endlessly re-read.

  • A founder's job narrows to a few things: set the vision, hire well, and don't run out of money
  • Focus and intensity beat breadth, do a few things extremely well
  • Momentum and growth are the founder's core responsibilities
  • Protect your time for the highest-leverage work only you can do
Open on playbook.samaltman.com ↗

It answers 23 questions

  1. I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin?
  2. What is founder-market fit and how do I know if I have it?
  3. How do I spend my time on the things only I, the founder, can do?
  4. How do I decide which features to cut from v1?
  5. How often should an early-stage startup ship?
  6. Isn't doing things that don't scale a waste of time, shouldn't I automate from day one?
  7. How does a solo founder do everything without drowning?
  8. How do I hire good engineers in India when everyone's competing for the same talent?
  9. What's a realistic time-management system for a founder with zero spare hours?
  10. How do I get my first users for the MVP?
  11. What equity should I offer a technical co-founder vs. an early engineer?
  12. How much should I actually delegate before I can afford a team?

And 11 more across the hub.

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