CS183B Class Overview

Speaker: Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator

• Purpose: To teach about starting startups and the four key areas for success.
• Classes Taught in Past: Off the record at YC.
• Content: 30% is generally applicable, 70% specific to startups.
• Funding: YC funded 725 companies.
• Guest Speakers: Experienced in creating billion-dollar companies.

Why Start a Startup

Speaker: Dustin Moskovitz (Co-founder of Asana)

• Common Reasons: Glamour, being the boss, flexibility, money, and impact.
• Realities of Starting a Startup: Stress, always working, unwanted media attention.
• Myth of Being the Boss: Everyone, including employees, customers, etc., is your boss.
• Myth of Flexibility: You work all hours, always on call, always working, always supervising.
• Money and Impact: Joined late-stage companies can offer more financial rewards and impact due to existing resources and user base.
• Best Reason to Start a Startup: When the world needs you to do it and you are passionate about the idea.

Personal Experience at Asana

• Co-Founders: Justin Rosenstein & Dustin Moskovitz
• Passion: Couldn't stop working on internal task manager, felt the idea was valuable to the world.
• Decision: Felt no one else would build it, feared leaving value on the table.
• Feeling: Idea was compelling and needed to be brought to the world.

Conclusion

• Follow your passion and work on something the world needs.
• Starting a startup is challenging but rewarding if done with the right motivation and idea.