Sam Altman's Whale AMA

TL;DR

Sam Altman shares advice on starting startups (learned from Paul Graham), identifies inequality as a key problem for 2017, expresses anxiety about the Trump presidency and optimism from communal action, and discusses Y Combinator’s goal of being acquired by “Whale” in 10 years.

Key insights

• Altman learned from Paul Graham that starting a startup is a “superpower” and shifted from thinking it impossible to seeing it as “really hard but still possible.”
• The social problem he most wants startups to tackle in 2017 is inequality, citing education and basic income as potential solutions.
• He advises high school students to treat school as a day job and spend remaining time on projects they are excited about, stating “no reason a high school student can’t start a startup.”