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How Does Y Combinator Vet a Founder in 10 Minutes? · The Builders

The Builders

Garry Tan Decides Who Gets to Build the Future

Walter Isaacson interviews Garry Tan, who leads Y Combinator. Tan explains how a 10-minute interview decides whether YC funds a founder, why he fears a future in which commercial value collapses into five AI companies, and why he wants personal AI and open source to keep that from happening. He also talks about little tech, self-preferencing at the big…

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Notes

  1. How Does Y Combinator Vet a Founder in 10 Minutes? at 4:24

    Garry Tan says Y Combinator vets a founder in a 10-minute interview that ends in an up-or-down decision. Full answer

  2. Why Did Palantir Stay at the Mandarin Oriental? at 11:05

    Garry Tan learned from Alex Karp that the hotel tells a buyer what Palantir is selling. Full answer

  3. Has True Free Market Enterprise Ever Been Tried? at 14:58

    Garry Tan says true free market enterprise has never been tried. Full answer

  4. Why Does Garry Tan Say Little Tech Groups Are Astroturf? at 18:15

    Garry Tan says groups that claim to speak for little tech are paid shills, funded with millions of dollars in astroturf money. Full answer

  5. How Big Is an AI Agent's Working Memory? at 23:47

    Garry Tan says an AI agent's working memory can already hold about a thousand pages, roughly three Harry Potter books, and pull any page, fact, or event from… Full answer

  6. Should CEOs Avoid Cost Cutting? at 29:12

    Garry Tan says the responsibility for CEOs and people who have a lot of privilege is not to cost cut. Full answer

  7. Why Does Garry Tan Fear a Future Run by Five AI Kings? at 36:16

    Garry Tan fears a future in which a light cone of commercial value collapses into five AI kings. Full answer

  8. Does Garry Tan Want More Billionaires? at 42:21

    Garry Tan wants more billionaires. Full answer

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