Paul Graham: at 17, I'd learn to build LLMs from scratch and train the best I could

dair_ai · x · 2026-08-24

Asked what he'd do at 17 today, Paul Graham said he'd learn how to build LLMs from scratch and train ones as powerful as possible with whatever hardware he could access. dair.ai's Elvis extends this: builders today should "own your intelligence stack"—understanding both the foundational technology and the applications built on top.

Related event: Paul Graham Tells Teens to Build LLMs From Scratch; LeCun Says Go Beyond Them(5 posts)→

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