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

The other piece besides focus for execution is intensity. Startups only work at a fairly intense level.

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

Unfortunately the trick to great execution is to say no a lot.

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.

Or a way to stay on strangers couches, that just sounds terrible all around.

You have to let your team get all the credit for all the good stuff that happens, and you take responsibility for the bad stuff.