Altman launched ChatGPT without asking Graham, knowing he'd advocate for shipping a 'embarrassing V1'
garrytan · x · 2026-08-24
Sam Altman recalled that he didn't ask Paul Graham for advice before launching ChatGPT because he knew exactly what Graham would say: ship a V1 you're embarrassed of early. Graham consistently pushed the startup ecosystem towards rapid iteration and customer feedback, emphasizing that trying many things and improving based on usage is more important than waiting for perfection.
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