{"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhMLtvmoA7w", "page_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhMLtvmoA7w", "title": "Y Combinator Ba\u015fkan\u0131 Sam Altman ile 2017 y\u0131l\u0131nda yapt\u0131\u011f\u0131m\u0131z \u00f6zel s\u00f6yle\u015fi", "show_or_channel": "Webrazzi", "date": null, "duration_s": 633, "type": "interview", "speakers": ["Sam Altman"], "confidence": "medium", "notes": "Webrazzi 2017 (short); recorded 2017; uploaded 2023", "people": ["sam-altman"], "id": "0000_webrazzi-y-combinator-ba-kan-sam-altman-ile-2017", "audio_duration_s": 633.1093125, "worker": "jc-w12", "transcribe_s": 16.8, "model": "large-v3", "segments": [{"start": 3.15, "end": 18.72, "text": "Hi, Sam. Hi, how are you? I'm good. How are you? Good. Thanks for coming in. It's great to have you here. Thanks for accepting our request. My pleasure."}, {"start": 18.72, "end": 37.66, "text": "One of the key things, key messages that you deliver since you have become the president of Y Combinator is about growth. It is not just about growth of Y Combinator companies, but also YC itself. Now you have got more than 1300 companies in your network. And you have also recently launched a map."}, {"start": 37.66, "end": 65.36, "text": "YC world map. Yes. But one interesting thing is that on the map is just a vast majority of YC companies are based in the US. Do you think that's a problem? And another question is your priority with growth. How do you deal with this fact? Yeah, well, I think it's more of an opportunity than a problem. Given how big the rest of the world is and how many of our companies are still in the US, there's a lot of very natural growth for us."}, {"start": 65.36, "end": 94.5, "text": "And as you just mentioned, growth is something I think is really important. I think in general, sort of systems at all levels, people, companies, countries, they're either kind of growing or dying. And so I think for a whole bunch of reasons that I've talked about in the past, it's really important that we continue to grow and do new things and expand and enlarge the pie and the sphere of influence. And there are a lot of problems in the world. We need a lot of startups to solve them. So yeah, I think we have this built-in natural growth channel, which is great."}, {"start": 94.5, "end": 119.86, "text": "Yeah, and what I'm trying to ask is actually, do you have this priority of growth, I mean, like increasing the presence or making YC stronger overseas? We have a huge priority. In fact, the reason the office is so empty today is that a lot of our partners are traveling around the world right now recruiting new founders. It's something that we love doing. Honestly, the recruiting trip, which we usually do in the fall, is always one of my favorite parts of the year."}, {"start": 120.11, "end": 149.74, "text": "Yeah, and I also want to ask you about challenges that you face when you're traveling all around the world and becoming a global network. Well, it's working much more than it's not working. So I think it's generally pretty good. One of the challenges I'd say that we face is that a lot of founders in other markets think they're not good enough to compete with the U.S. startups. They'll say, well, you know, what's different about startups in my country?"}, {"start": 149.74, "end": 179.73, "text": "What's not as good about startups in my country? And there's this feeling that I usually start my talks by saying, you have to just get over this, that people aren't good enough to compete with the big league in Silicon Valley. And that's just ridiculous, but it is something that comes up again and again and again. Yeah, and I actually want to ask you, yes, YC is a global and trying to become more reachable, more accessible for startups, of course. But on the other hand, there is some role to play for locals as well. Do you think, what should they do?"}, {"start": 179.95, "end": 207.02, "text": "For locals. To become, to compete, to become compatible in a global sense. Oh, yeah. I mean, again, I think one of the things that is magic about the internet and kind of this global network that we have created is that anywhere, anyone, anyone, anywhere in the world can compete with anybody else. And I think people should not limit themselves to saying we're going to just, you know, play in our little sandbox. I think you, people need to be."}, {"start": 207.02, "end": 236.11, "text": "They need to have global ambitions no matter where they are. I also watched your speech at TechCrunch Disrupt, and one of the interesting notes that you gave was that access to the wild accumulated in the Silicon Valley is a huge challenge for startups all around the world. It's not just actually capital, but also the network, the data, even knowledge and everything."}, {"start": 236.21, "end": 266.05, "text": "Yes, totally that's true, but we have this thing called the Internet. It's supposed to work everywhere. And I think over time, that knowledge, that network will just sort of spread and diffuse. Yeah, and I want to also ask you about the future of funding. Because some people already believe that it's here because of the blockchain technology and ICOs and everything. And I know that you already know that there's an..."}, {"start": 266.05, "end": 294.43, "text": "You already think that there's an interesting value in this. But ICOs can be regulated as well. But one of the problems with regulations is that it always comes with the dispute of who is benefiting it from us more. Look, I think regulations have good and bad. When I go to the grocery store and buy food, or when I go to the pharmacy and get medicine, or when I get on an airplane, I am happy for the FDA. I'm happy for the FAA."}, {"start": 294.43, "end": 311.5, "text": "And I think we just take it for granted, the fact that a lot of our lives are pretty safe. And yes, there are downsides. None of these are perfect organizations. I think there's always a natural tension between wanting more regulation and wanting more innovation. But the answer is not none of either."}, {"start": 312.18, "end": 339.1, "text": "And talking about regulations, another issue is AI is another story. And not long ago, Bill Gates afforded robot tax. Do you think that this kind of measure can be necessary? Do you agree with this? Or what other regulations should we be talking about about AI? Look, I think we are going to go through one of the most dramatic, maybe the most dramatic technological shift in human history. And that is going to have..."}, {"start": 339.1, "end": 366.19, "text": "Definitely, and AI is huge and also"}, {"start": 366.19, "end": 396.27, "text": "An increasing number of AI startups are joining Y Combinator, right? Yes. And also, you know, they're gene editing startups. They're startups dealing with, you know, smart cities and everything, the breakthrough technologies. How do you approach them? How do you advise the startups, the founders? Well, it's really different for each individual startup. You know, there's plenty of good boilerplate advice online. The advice that we try to give is the really custom, here's what to do for your particular startup."}, {"start": 396.27, "end": 419.18, "text": "And so it's different for each startup. A general thing that I would say, one of the most counterintuitive things I've noticed about startups is it is easier to start a hard company than an easy company. You know, if you're making another photo sharing app, there's a lot of people doing it. It's hard to get people really excited. If you're like, we're going to cure cancer, we're going to solve nuclear fusion. A lot of people want to help. And so that actually works pretty well."}, {"start": 419.18, "end": 447.76, "text": "Yeah, and another thing, since you have become president at YC, I'm sorry, we have been covering it as an accelerator program, I don't know, since history. Now, it's beyond that. So last year you have also announced that it is the YC group and there is research in other groups as well. How do you define YC group today? And fast forward 10 years, where do you want it to be?"}, {"start": 447.76, "end": 471.74, "text": "Hard to predict even next year. I think we're a technology company today. We would like to be kind of the university of the future in the future. And what type of university? We don't know. Okay, so my last question will be about..."}, {"start": 471.74, "end": 500.75, "text": "The sexism problem in Silicon Valley, which is becoming more visible to everybody all around the world, thanks to women who are just, you know. And I want to ask you, do you see, of course it's a huge problem, but on the other hand, does it imply a more widespread cultural change in the valley, which just brings up also the question that should we just be looking at the role models who have values?"}, {"start": 500.75, "end": 527.76, "text": "The role models who what? Who have more values bringing up, you know. Oh, well, look, I think role models are one of the key solutions to this problem. And certainly, you know, we put up a website called Female Founder Stories where we highlighted some of our most successful female founders. And as I've been around on tours, many young women have said, hey, I was like, not sure I could start a startup. And I saw."}, {"start": 527.76, "end": 554.46, "text": "This woman and I was like, I saw myself in there and I saw that I can do that. So I think highlighting women as successful founders is a really great thing to do. One of the things that we have six female GPs here and one of the things they say is that they get frustrated when the press asks them only what is it like to be a woman in technology, woman in venture capital, not just asking them, what do you think about the blockchain? What do you think about AI? What do you think about biotech?"}, {"start": 554.46, "end": 582.13, "text": "And the men always get asked, what do you think about AI? What do you think about blockchain? What do you think about biotech? So the same thing for founders. If they're always asked, what's it like to be a woman founder, they express a lot of frustration about that. But when we highlight them or when other journalists highlight them just as incredibly competent, successful founders, we hear again and again how much that inspires the next generation. So we're trying to do more of that. I think that's important. I think it's"}, {"start": 582.13, "end": 613.44, "text": "Anyone who looks at the numbers and says this is not a huge problem is, they believe something I don't believe. But I think we'll continue to try to make whatever efforts we can to improve it. Yeah, and just one more question. If you were to go back to where you have started, I think when you were 19 years old, what would you be doing differently today? I'm actually really happy with how things have gone. I've loved every phase of my career so far and I hope it just keeps getting better."}, {"start": 613.44, "end": 630.83, "text": "Okay, and it looks like pretty, you know, inspiring for many of the people all around the world. Thanks for being with us. Thanks for your time. Thanks a lot for having me. Dear viewers, we are ending another special interview. Stay with us. See you."}]}