Carolynn and I have known Sam Altman for his whole career. In fact it was Sam who introduced us. So today’s Social Radars is a special one. Join us as we talk to Sam about the inside story of his journey from Stanford sophomore to AI mogul.
I’m posting this specifically because there is some impression that OpenAI and Sam Altman are not good but self-interested, esp. voiced by Zvi.
One of the things [Jessica Livingston is] best at is judging people. She’s one of those rare individuals with x-ray vision for character. She can see through any kind of faker almost immediately. Her nickname within YC was the Social Radar, and this special power of hers was critical in making YC what it is. The earlier you pick startups, the more you’re picking the founders. Later stage investors get to try products and look at growth numbers. At the stage where YC invests, there is often neither a product nor any numbers.
[...]
During interviews, Robert and Trevor and I would pepper the applicants with technical questions. Jessica would mostly watch. A lot of the applicants probably read her as some kind of secretary, especially early on, because she was the one who’d go out and get each new group and she didn’t ask many questions. She was ok with that. It was easier for her to watch people if they didn’t notice her. But after the interview, the three of us would turn to Jessica and ask “What does the Social Radar say?” [1]
Having the Social Radar at interviews wasn’t just how we picked founders who’d be successful. It was also how we picked founders who were good people. [emphasis mine] At first we did this because we couldn’t help it. Imagine what it would feel like to have x-ray vision for character. Being around bad people would be intolerable. So we’d refuse to fund founders whose characters we had doubts about even if we thought they’d be successful.
[provided as is, I have no strong opinion on it, might provide additional context for some]
The Social Radars episode on Sam Altman:
Link to podcast, Tweet
I’m posting this specifically because there is some impression that OpenAI and Sam Altman are not good but self-interested, esp. voiced by Zvi.
(from Paul Graham’s essay on Jessica Livingston)