Altman: Founders must delegate decisions, not just data-gathering
Sam Altman · Later Stage Advice with Sam Altman (How to Start a Startup 2014: Lecture 20) · Y Combinator · May 1, 2017 · at 6:17
Sam Altman contrasts effective delegation with micro-management modeled on Steve Jobs during a Stanford lecture on scaling startups.
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“That's how most founders delegate. And that does not make people feel good, and it certainly doesn't scale. A subtle difference, but really important, is to say, hey, you're really smart. That's why I hired you. You go off. Here are the things to think about. Here's what I think. But you make this decision. I totally trust you. And let me know what you decide. That's the delegation that actually works because, I think, because Steve Jobs was able to get away with the former and make every decision himself, and people just put up with it, and every founder thinks they're the next Steve Jobs. A lot of people try this, but I, for 99.9% of people, the second method here works a lot better.”
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