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About

SA

Sam Altman

02/11/17

@ Y Combinator

To become a great engineer, you need to build a lot of projects and collaborate with smart people, and it typically takes at least 10,000 hours of practice.

Video

YC

Sam Altman's Whale AMA

@ Y Combinator

02/11/17

Related Takeaways

JL

Joe Lonsdale

04/26/24

@ My First Million

You need to build a top engineering culture to attract the best talent, which is crucial for success.

BM

Bob McGrew

05/28/25

@ Joe Lonsdale

A great engineer seeks certainty and can become frustrated when they only see problems after years of work, but convincing them to stay can lead to critical breakthroughs.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

03/06/25

@ Y Combinator

To be exceptional in software engineering, you need to engage in deliberate practice and understand the systems deeply, rather than just relying on tools.

AH

Andrew Huberman

03/27/25

@ Andrew Huberman

Realistic expectations are crucial; instant skill acquisition is a myth, and the 10,000 hours rule is misleading because it's not just about time but about the number of repetitions.

JD

Jeff Dean

05/12/25

@ Sequoia Capital

The concept of a virtual engineer will require a better understanding of various tasks beyond just coding, including testing and debugging, to function effectively in a real-world environment.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

01/25/25

@ Y Combinator

The bar for engineering talent is rising; candidates should be able to build significantly more in a limited time using tools like Cursor.

JL

Joe Lonsdale

04/26/24

@ My First Million

You should focus on building a strong engineering culture that respects and empowers top talent to drive innovation.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

09/18/18

@ Y Combinator

Engineers often waste 15 to 20 percent of their time navigating between different applications instead of coding.

PE

Paul Eremenko

05/27/25

@ Sequoia Capital

Achieving engineering AGI requires not only understanding the design process but also the ability to generalize across different domains without needing specific training for each one.