I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees.

It's really easy to get PR with no results & it actually feels like you're really actually cool, but in a year you'll still have nothing.

Here's a good rule of thumb: don't worry about a competitor at all, until they're actually beating you with a real shipped product.

You're saying no ninety-seven times out of a hundred, and most founders find they have to make a very conscious effort to do this.

We've seen a lot of data at YC now, and the most successful companies and the ones where the investors do the best... end up giving a lot of stock out to employees- year after year after year.

We talk to a team they've gotten new things done, that's the best predictor we have that a company will be successful.

Don't let the company get distracted or excited about other things. A common mistake is that companies get excited by their own PR.