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Paul Graham on Ambition, Art, and Evaluating Talent

  • Podcast episode
  • Aug 9, 2023
  • #Art #PersonalDevelopment
Tyler Cowen
@TylerCowen
(Host)
Paul Graham
@paulg
open.spotify.com
Listen on Apple
55 min
Listen on Spotify
55 min
1 Recommender
1 Mention
Tyler and Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham sat down at his home in the English countryside to discuss what areas of talent judgment his co-founder and wife Jessica Livingston is... Show More

Tyler and Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham sat down at his home in the English countryside to discuss what areas of talent judgment his co-founder and wife Jessica Livingston is better at, whether young founders have gotten rarer, whether he still takes a dim view of solo founders, how to 2x ambition in the developed world, on the minute past which a Y Combinator interviewer is unlikely to change their mind, what YC learned after rejecting companies, how he got over his fear of flying, Florentine history, why almost all good artists are underrated, what's gone wrong in art, why new homes and neighborhoods are ugly, why he wants to visit the Dark Ages, why he's optimistic about Britain and San Fransisco, the challenges of regulating AI, whether we're underinvesting in high-cost interruption activities, walking, soundproofing, fame, and more.
Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.
Recorded July 15th, 2023.
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- Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
- Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here.
Photo credit: Dave Thomas

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Des Traynor @DesTraynor · Aug 11, 2023
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Really enjoyed the @tylercowen ⭤ @paulg interview, even if, at times, the questioning felt a lot like this (classic) Jonathan Frakes clip.
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