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SA

Sam Altman

02/24/18

@ Y Combinator

I was infamously difficult to work with when I was younger; I should have put more effort into setting and communicating expectations with others.

Video

YC

Uncut Interview with Sam Altman on Masters of Scale [Audio]

@ Y Combinator

Uncut Interview with Sam Altman on Masters of Scale [Audio]

02/24/18

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I didn't trust my editorial voice at the beginning of my career, which made it hard for others to understand what I wanted from them.

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One of my biggest mistakes was not documenting our culture and values early enough, which led to misunderstandings about responsibilities within the team.

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Geoffrey Hinton

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I wish I had spent more time with my family when they were little, as I was too focused on work.

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When I was at Airbnb, I focused too much on my own approach and didn't partner enough with the customer support leadership team, which hindered building true support for our initiatives.

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I wish I had sold the big dream more effectively during fundraising, as I was too focused on being a good founder and delivering on promises.

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Mathilde Collin

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I learned that I should hire people who are better than me in areas where I need help, rather than expecting them to figure things out for me.

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I realized too late that I had wasted time doubting my place in the company, which hindered my ability to push forward.

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I was committed to spending what was necessary for success, which was not well-received by Wall Street; I was much louder about this than my successor.

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The mistake I made was delegating decisions to the wrong level in the organization, which hindered our ability to ship great products.