If you compromise in the first five, ten hires it might kill the company.

Long term thinking is so rare anywhere, but especially in startups. This is a huge advantage if you do it.

Move fast. Speed is one of your main advantages over large companies.

The most common post YC failure case for the companies we fund, is they're incredibly focussed during YC on their company... and after they start doing a lot of other things. They advise companies, they go to conferences, whatever.

Because so few people make an actual long term commitment to what they're building, the ones that do have a huge advantage.

Investors will sort of like write the check and then, despite a lot of promises, don't usually do that much; sometimes they do.

A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup.