HTSAS Lecture 1
My mind was blown a couple times during the lecture (as I’m sure many people’s were), and I’m more than excited to continue following the course. One mind-blowing moment was the example Sam Altman used, that a couple friends sitting around thinking of startup ideas just doesn’t work. I’ve definitely done something similar to that, and it mainly didn’t work for us because we couldn’t think of anything worth doing. But more than that, there’s a fundamental inconsistency with trying to force a good idea since that implies it’s not your passion.
It’s pretty interesting how many parallels there were in this lecture as there were in talks that others have given. Peter Thiel talks to great length about creating a monopoly in a relatively small market and then expanding, and Elon Musk talks about using all the company’s resources in creating a better product. For sure, this is no coincidence since they all know one another, and many of these ideas are circulated in the startup world, but it’s just interesting to note.
I suppose the thing that really made me think, though, was the idea of building something a few users will love. Not like or want, but love. It’s such a powerful idea, and it makes sense on so many levels. It encourages organic growth (something I’ve spent tons of time thinking about), provides a small market to monopolize, and ensures active users who will give frequent feedback. And one of the the best parts about all of this is that one of the easiest ways to make users love your product is that you have to love your own product as well. (Statistically speaking, you are probably not special, so if you love your product, there will be others out there who will also love it).
Something I’m curious about, which I hope will become clearer with the second lecture, is why SA taught these four skills in this order. It would make much more sense (at least to me) to present it in the order that they would come when starting a startup (disclaimer: I have never started a startup, so this is just how I imagine it to be). Once you have your idea that you’re passionate about, you start talking to potential co-founders until you find some who share the same passion as you do (It is implied that you’ve known these people for a few years already since choosing co-founders is no trivial matter), or the other way around happens. You and a few people you know you want to start a company with get together and identify a common passion. The product would, presumably, come after the team is formed, but SA chose to talk about it after discussing the product. I’m sure he has his reasons behind the order of topics, but I certainly found it peculiar.
Great Quotes:
- Sound crazy but be right
- Your job is to build something that users love
- Why now?
