Paul Graham must be a fool to think that single founder startup's can't succeed
4 comments
Please tone down your post, or you won't be taken seriously.
We are lucky to have Paul Graham sharing his incredible experience and expertise. Of course he can't speak for each and every startup of the world, but anecdotal evidence suggests that 2 (up to 4) founders make for a more effective company.
If you're interested, I highly suggest you to read the Founders at Work series.
"Have you ever noticed how few successful startups were founded by just one person? Even companies you think of as having one founder, like Oracle, usually turn out to have more. It seems unlikely this is a coincidence.
What's wrong with having one founder? To start with, it's a vote of no confidence. It probably means the founder couldn't talk any of his friends into starting the company with him. That's pretty alarming, because his friends are the ones who know him best.
But even if the founder's friends were all wrong and the company is a good bet, he's still at a disadvantage. Starting a startup is too hard for one person. Even if you could do all the work yourself, you need colleagues to brainstorm with, to talk you out of stupid decisions, and to cheer you up when things go wrong.
The last one might be the most important. The low points in a startup are so low that few could bear them alone. When you have multiple founders, esprit de corps binds them together in a way that seems to violate conservation laws. Each thinks "I can't let my friends down." This is one of the most powerful forces in human nature, and it's missing when there's just one founder." – Paul Graham http://goo.gl/HPja
We are lucky to have Paul Graham sharing his incredible experience and expertise. Of course he can't speak for each and every startup of the world, but anecdotal evidence suggests that 2 (up to 4) founders make for a more effective company.
If you're interested, I highly suggest you to read the Founders at Work series.
"Have you ever noticed how few successful startups were founded by just one person? Even companies you think of as having one founder, like Oracle, usually turn out to have more. It seems unlikely this is a coincidence.
What's wrong with having one founder? To start with, it's a vote of no confidence. It probably means the founder couldn't talk any of his friends into starting the company with him. That's pretty alarming, because his friends are the ones who know him best.
But even if the founder's friends were all wrong and the company is a good bet, he's still at a disadvantage. Starting a startup is too hard for one person. Even if you could do all the work yourself, you need colleagues to brainstorm with, to talk you out of stupid decisions, and to cheer you up when things go wrong.
The last one might be the most important. The low points in a startup are so low that few could bear them alone. When you have multiple founders, esprit de corps binds them together in a way that seems to violate conservation laws. Each thinks "I can't let my friends down." This is one of the most powerful forces in human nature, and it's missing when there's just one founder." – Paul Graham http://goo.gl/HPja
My question was based on this crap article and the crappiest "First" paragraph I have ever come across regarding startups!
How can he say it's a vote of no confidence? It shows he has not experiemented with "single" founder startups or he has not learnt anything about how single-founder startups are run most effectively...(They have to be extra caution when taking decisions as they have to look from all perspectives)I can say much more but there is no use in "saying" this to bunch of people who believe that his article and words are like "Bible" for the startups.
I like to quote a proverb that says "What you see is a lie,What you hear is a lie,So do investigate and find out the truth"
How can he say it's a vote of no confidence? It shows he has not experiemented with "single" founder startups or he has not learnt anything about how single-founder startups are run most effectively...(They have to be extra caution when taking decisions as they have to look from all perspectives)I can say much more but there is no use in "saying" this to bunch of people who believe that his article and words are like "Bible" for the startups.
I like to quote a proverb that says "What you see is a lie,What you hear is a lie,So do investigate and find out the truth"
I think he's playing the odds, right? He never said that they can't succeed. However, when you're putting your own money on the line, you want to go with what works, or what you think works.
Take yourself, for example. You made a stupid post. You didn't run it buy anyone, but just blurted out uncontrollably. Not someone I'd want to give my money to.
http://www.paulgraham.com/startupmistakes.html
Take yourself, for example. You made a stupid post. You didn't run it buy anyone, but just blurted out uncontrollably. Not someone I'd want to give my money to.
http://www.paulgraham.com/startupmistakes.html
How can you say it's as a stupid post?
Startup is all about taking risks.If you are not willing to see someone down with good idea and who has pitched it very well just because the startup has a single founder it shows how bad are you.
If he is not willing to take controlled risks then he should not in VC business itself.Someone comes to you with a good but world changing idea but will you reject the person just because he/she is the sole founder of that startup..that shows how bad you are..
Examples of Single founder Startups who became Large MNC's Ebay,Amazon etc.,
P.S : I waited for others to reply!
Startup is all about taking risks.If you are not willing to see someone down with good idea and who has pitched it very well just because the startup has a single founder it shows how bad are you.
If he is not willing to take controlled risks then he should not in VC business itself.Someone comes to you with a good but world changing idea but will you reject the person just because he/she is the sole founder of that startup..that shows how bad you are..
Examples of Single founder Startups who became Large MNC's Ebay,Amazon etc.,
P.S : I waited for others to reply!
You both are right .
Paul Graham sees the things from VC perspective.
You see the things from Founder perspective.
For VC the goal is that he returns the money multiplied by X.
For the Founder the goal is to grow the company and maybe be in control.
Some founders doesn't have the goal to grow the company their goal is to bring in a change in the lives of people :)
Woah ...
Startup is not just about raising funds and pitching ideas,it's much more than that..
I can show him multiple examples!!