Quotes from Sam Altman

Technology magnifies differences, and it's been replacing or obviating jobs for a long time. But what happens as that case accelerates? I'm not one of these doomsayers who says, 'There will be no jobs.'

Virgin America flyers tend to be more likely to be using a mobile device and tapping social networks - even at 35,000 feet.

With Loopt Star, consumers get to tap interactive rewards wherever they may be.

I get up late, have an espresso, and immediately start work. I try to get roughly caught up on email before I leave the house, then if I need to write anything or review a complex deal, I do that, and then I head to the office and work on my top few priorities for the day. I try to schedule my meetings in the afternoon.

What is OK is to spend money for productivity. What is not OK is just to light money on fire.

The biggest part of Loopt is about discovering the world around you, never replacing a social experience - only adding to it.

I believe that sexism in tech is a real problem.

If a company is profitable, the founder is in control. If it's not, investors are in control.

Whoever Boost works with, Sprint will work with. And whoever Sprint works with, Verizon and AT&T will as well.

Tech companies tend to do tech best.

If you ask a founder how their company is doing, they always say, 'Oh it's great. We're totally crushing it,' and that's almost never true.

The thing about Y Combinator that's cool is that most companies won't happen if we don't fund them.

I think the mistake people make most often when they invest in other kinds of startups is they say, 'This is totally different.' And so the things that matter, like making a product that people desperately want, like talking to customers, they throw this out the window. That is a recipe for heartache and tears.

Seed investing is the status symbol of Silicon Valley. Most people don't want Ferraris, they want a winning seed investment.

I suppose if I didn't have Loopt, I'd have to, I don't know, pick up the phone and just start calling people, a lot more texting and certainly more Googling.

The correlation of quality of life and cost of energy is huge.

Generally, you want to raise capital either when you have to or when it's really easy. If the company desperately needs money, and they can't figure out any other way, then they need to raise money. Or if someone's offering you easy money on good terms, you should take it because you can use it for good things.

Communication services need interoperability to succeed - and Loopt is the first such service since SMS that is available across all major U.S. wireless carriers.

Sometimes people think Y Combinator has big ideas about themes. But really, we just fund the best startups.

Everyone starting a startup for the first time is scared, and everyone feels like a bit of an imposter.

Most of the best hires that I've made in my entire life have never done that thing before.

Starting a business is like riding a wave between life and death. If you can hang on long enough, you're bound to succeed

There is a long history of founders returning to companies and doing great things. Founders are able to set the vision for their companies with an authority no one else can.

People are incredible creatures of habit.