Re:I Am Sam Altman, President of Y Combinator. AMA
by jasonmcalacanis on Saturday March 19, 2016 @07:29PM
(#11320991)
1. I always ask folks -- in private and group meetings -- "do you want the red or blue pill?"
2. Founders have asked for the brutal truth of the 'red pill 'every single time. No founder has ever asked for the blissful illusion of the blue pill. Not once!
3. I've coached 700 startups for TC50, LAUNCH Festival and the LAUNCH Incubator (27 and growing!)... never had a complaint. Not one. That includes Dropbox, Yammer, FitBit, CafeX, Clicker, Brilliant.org and hundreds more.
[ background: The person making these claims is close friends with my former partner on TC50 -- that partner was accused of some very nasty things. ]
Yes, Jason probably had some brutally honest feedback about the presentation and how to make it better. But in my experience, his feedback is always spot on.
I've personally been on the receiving end of such feedback, and it can feel harsh at times. But this is one of Jason's greatest strengths: he has the ability to listen to a pitch once and then make it way stronger by improving a few key things. This is why almost all of the pitches at Launch are exceptional.